Obituary: Winnebago County, Wisconsin: William CHURCH ************************************************************************ Submitted by Kathy Grace, November 2004 © All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************************************ Winneconne Local October 30, 1913 p.1 Fall from Hickory Tree Fatal The death of William Church last Saturday morning removed from our midst one of our most highly respected and widely known citizens. Mr. Church was wide famed in this community for his many deeds of kindness and sympathy to those who needed a helping hand. Tho very retiring in public affairs, he was prominent among the sic and needy, and her he will be gravely missed. His was an active and energetic life, and even at the age of 74 years and just before his death he frequently took long walks of three or four miles with the sprightliness of a man many years younger. But for his unfortunate fall he would, no doubt, have lived to be a hundred years old. Mr. Church was born in Utica, New York State, on December 29, 1839. When he was a lad of about ten years his parents moved to this state, settling at Butte des Morts in the early days when this section was still new. Since then Mr. Church has made his home in the towns of Vinland and Winneconne, with the exception of seven years that he resided at Oshkosh. In 1863, when he was 24 years old, he was united in marriage to Miss Delia Spies. About eight years ago they moved to this village, living on the east side until a year ago, when they moved to the west side. Prior to the accident which cost him his life, Mr. Church had been in the habit of walking out to his daughter's, Mrs. Albert Hillman, home on a farm about three miles west of the village, in the morning and back in the evening. On the morning of the accident he went to gather some hickory nuts and had mounted into a large tree to shake the nuts to the ground, when he stepped onto a dead limb which snapped off, and he fell a distance of about 20 feet. Mr. Church fell in such a way that his right leg was broken between the hip and knee so badly that a portion of the bone protruded thru his overalls. This happened on Thursday morning, and it is believed that he sustained other internal injuries, which resulted in his death on Saturday. He leaves a wife and two daughter, Mrs. Albert Hillman of the town of Winneconne and Mrs. Raycroft of Long Beach, Wis. The funeral was held from the house at one o'clock and at two from the Baptist church, Tuesday afternoon. Interment at the Bell cemetery, Rev. Codd officiating. Those from away who attended the funeral were: A Spies, Menominee, Mich.; Mrs. Florence Harris, Chicago; Mrs. Delia Miller East, Chicago; Julius Leidenberg, Shawano; Mrs. Ellen Spies, John Spies and Mrs. Mary Zipple, of Gillett, and Mrs. Florence Sanford of Milwaukee.