Obit: Untiedt, Elmer John (1916 - 1945)

Contact: Stan

Surnames: Untiedt, Duellman, Hildensperger, Nienow, Berg, Gatezman, Shields, Zenk, Poplowski, Bienkowski, Schultz, Trotzer, Swanson, Carlson, Bubse, Juneau, Miller, Krueger, Raatz, Hake, Haden, Casey, Will, Horner, LaDue, Reinhart, Bartel, Brocker, Korener, Renhart, Reinhardt

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 05/31/1945

Untiedt, Elmer John (17 July 1916 - 28 May 1945)

Elmer John Untiedt, 29, Curtiss route 1, a cheesemaker at the Diamond cheese factory in the town of Frankfort, was killed instantly on Monday morning at about 1:50 o’clock in a head-on collision on highway 29, about five miles east of Abbotsford, when the automobile he was driving east collided with a tractor-trailer of the Western Condensing company, Owen, driven west by Frank J. Duellman, 30, of Dorchester, Wis. Both men were alone in their vehicles.

Untiedt’s death was due to a skull fracture, in addition to which his body was severely mangled, including facial lacerations, broken vertebrae and fractures of the left arm and left leg.

About a half hour was required to extricate his body from the wreckage of his car, in which his legs had been jammed by the motor. The car was left upright but was turned around, on the south edge of the pavement, about 65 feet from the point of impact.

Called to the scene of the accident was John W. Hildensperger, deputy Marathon county coroner, and Traffic Officers Frank E. Nienow, and Clifford Berg, Capt. Henry Gatezman followed them to the scene. Nienow reported that the Untiedt coach had crossed the black line of the highway and that its left front wheel had been about five feet over the line at the point of the collision. The left wheels of the trailer-tractor showed marks on the highway, about 18 inches on its side of the black line, where the brakes of the tractor were evidently applied, Nienow said, after his investigation of the accident.

He said that there is a possibility that one of the tires on the coach may have blown out and that this may have caused the car to swerve suddenly.

Duellman, who suffered bruises about the body and face and the possible fracture of several ribs, informed Nienow that he had seen the Untiedt car leave its lane on the highway shortly before the impact. The trailer was loaded with 20,000 pounds of whey and was traveling at a moderate speed, he told Nienow. Duellman was treated for his injuries by Dr. Shields of Abbotsford, Wis.

The fatality was the eleventh traffic death of the year in the county and followed closely in the traffic deaths of Theodore E. Poplowski, 42, and Emil H. Zenk, 46, town of Frankfort, which occurred last Wednesday. Untiedt was employed by Poplowski at the latter’s cheese factory and he (Untiedt) was on his way to the cheese factory after Untiedt had visited his father and brother near Atwood in Clark county.

The tractor-trailer left the highway, according to Duellman, when the right wheels sank into the soft shoulder of the highway and forced the tractor-trailer into the ditch. He reported that the pavement was dry at the time of the accident.

Untiedt was born July 17, 1916, according to his driver’s license found on his body by the traffic officers.

The body was taken to the Zenk Funeral Home at Abbotsford where it was kept until Thursday when it was taken to the Untiedt home in Colby, Wis. Funeral services will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic church in Colby Saturday morning at 9:30 A.M., Rev. Francis A. Bienkowski officiating.

A coroner’s jury held that Duellman was driving the tractor-trailer in the proper lane of traffic and absolved him of all blame in the accident. Members of the jury were Ewald C. Schultz, foreman, Fred C. Trotzer, George Swanson, John W. Carlson, Otto F. Bubse and Harold Juneau.

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 06/07/1945

Funeral services for Elmer Untiedt, who was killed in a head-on collision as reported last week, were held at St. Mary’s Catholic church in Colby Saturday morning, Rev. Francis A. Bienkowski officiating, and internment was made in the Colby cemetery. Pall bearers were Wilbert Miller, Walter Miller, Theodore Miller, Melvin Krueger, Edward Raatz and Roland Hake. Those in charge of the flowers were Mrs. Melvin Krueger, Mrs. Wilbert Miller, Mrs. Edward Raatz, Mrs. Frances Haden, Mariann Casey and Doris Will.

Out of town people here for the funeral were Mr. and Mrs. William Horner and grand son, Billy, Mr. and Mrs. Laurence Untiedt, Mr. and Mrs. Lee LaDue and Mrs. Frances Haden of Milwaukee, Capt. Leanard Untiedt of Texas, Pfc. Gerhard Krueger of New York, Viola Untiedt and George Reinhart of Chicago, Frank Bartel of Cincinnati, Ohio, Gus Brocker of Marshfield, Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Krueger of Milan, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Korener and Mr. and Mrs. Emil Untiedt of Dorchester, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Reinhardt of Owen and Mrs. Barbara Renhart of Greenwood, Wisconsin.

 

 


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