Obituaries
submitted by: Julia Johnson - julia.johnson63@gmail.com
 

[Straight, Bernard Edwin “Eddie”]

Blockton News

Thursday     October 19, 1933     p. 2

Obituary

Bernard Edward Straight was   born at Stillwater, Nevada, April   6, 1925, and departed this life   October 8, 1933, at the age of   [ 8]years, 6 months and 2 days. 

 At the age of two years his   mother passed away and the following   year he came to live with   his foster parents, Roy and Hazel   Mercer, and has since made this   his home.

He leaves to mourn his untimely   passing his foster parents, Roy   and Hazel Mercer; his father, C.   W. Straight, of Minatare, Nebraska; five brothers, William Curtis, of Scottsbluff, Nebraska; Daniel   Wayne, of Hyattville, Wyoming; Truman Glenn of Blockton, Iowa; Charles Boyd, ot Hyattville, Wyoming; Jack Holland, of Minatare, Nebraska, and one sister, Mary Ida, of Madison, Wisconsin; two grandmothers and one grandfather, and many other relatives   and friends.

Eddie was a bright, cheerful   little boy and loved his home and   his school. He was exceptionally   fond of his foster parents. He   will be greatly missed by all who   knew him.

Funeral services were held at   the Platteville church Wednesday   afternoon at 2 o'clock, conducted   by Rev. W. H Warrior, pastor of the Methodist church at   Blockton. The music was furnished   by the male quartette of Blockton.   The senior class of the   Blockton high school, of which   Glenn Straight is a member, attended the service in a body, the   four boys in the class acting as pallbearers.

[Straight, Bernard Edwin “Eddie”]

Bedford Times-Press

Thursday     October 12, 1933    [p. 1]

Boy Dies After   Fall From Baler

Edward Straight, 8, Succumbs Sunday

Edward Straight, 8 years old son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Mercer   of Platteville, fell from a hay   baler Sunday about noon, sustaining   injuries that caused his   death that evening.   Mercer was bringing the baler   home, the Straight boy and his   little sister riding back of the   driver on the machine. In some   manner the boy fell off, the back   wheel of the heavy machine passing over his body. The accident   occurred about a mile east of   Platteville near the M. R. Brant   farm.

In a semi-conscious condition Mercer carried the boy   to the Brant home where medical   aid was summoned. Later the injured lad was taken to a hospital   in St. Joseph where he died, presumably of internal injuries.   Funeral services were held at   the Platteville church Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock conducted by Rev. W. H. Warrior.

[Straight, Bernard Edwin “Eddie”]

Bedford Times-Press

Thursday     October 19, 1933     p. 5

BLOCKTON

BOY'S FUNERAL HELD

Edwin Straight Buried at Platteville Oct. 11

Funeral services for Bernard   Edwin Straight, 8, who was injured   when he fell from a hay   baler and died later, were held at the Platteville church Wednesday   afternoon, Oct. 11 conducted   by Rev. W. H. Warrior of   Blockton. The senior class of the   Blockton high school, of which   Glen Straight is a member, attended in a body, the four boys   of the class acting as pall-bearers.

He was born at Stillwater, Nev., April 6, 1925. At the age of two   years his mother died and the   following year he went to Blockton   to live with his foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Mercer, and had since made his home   there.

Surviving relatives are the foster parents, his father, C. [harles] W.   Straight of Minatare, Nebr., five   brothers, William Curtis of   Scottsbluff, Nebr., Daniel Wayne   and Charles Boyd of Hyattville, Wyo., Truman Glenn of Blockton, Jack Rolland of Minatare, Nebr., and one sister, Mary Ida   of Madison, Wis. There are also   two grandmothers and a grandfather.

[STRAIGHT, BERNARD EDWIN "EDDIE"]
Blockton News (Blockton, Iowa), Thursday, October 12, 1933
Edward Straight Dead
Edward Straight, the eight-year-old son of Charles Straight and a nephew of Truman Straight, who made his home with Mr. and Mrs. Roy Mercer at Platteville, received injuries Sunday noon when he fell from a hay baler that caused his death in a St. Joseph hospital Sunday night about midnight.
A physician was called at once and the lad was immediately taken to a St. Joseph hospital in the H. S. Campbell car.
He passed away about midnight as above stated.
Funeral services were held at Platteville yesterday afternoon.

[Straight, Marvin Joe]

Bedford Times-Press

Thursday     August 7, 1952     [p. 1]

Straight Child Died July 30

Marvin Joe, six-year-old son of Mr and Mrs. Luther Straight, Clearfield, died at 12:45 a.m., Jul 30 at St. Francis hospital, where he was admitted July 17. He was born Jan. 30, 1946, and was a member of the Methodist church. The body was returned to Clearfield.

[Straight, William Curtis]

Bedford Times-Republican

Thursday     September 9, 1920    [p. 1]

PROMINENT CITIZEN TAKES HIS OWN LIFE

People Were Greatly Shocked Monday Evening on Learning That Wm. Straight Had Ended His Existence by Hanging. No Feasible Cause For the Rash Act.

Monday evening about 8   o'clock the citizens of Bedford   were shocked when the word was   passed from lip to lip that Wm.   Straight had taken his own life   by hanging. For several weeks   the family had noticed that something   was wrong and tried to   keep a sharp lookout where he   went and what he was doing. He   was taken several different places   to witness ball games thinking   that perhaps it might possibly get   him interested and take his mind   from himself. There seemed to   be something on his mind that   worried him and he would go   about the place in a deep study

Just about a week ago he purchased   the Jack Stephens home in   Bedford and was making arrangements   to move to town. He came   in Monday forenoon and returned   home after dinner.  

The last time he was seen alive   was about four o'clock in the evening   and when supper time came   and he did not put in an appearance   the family became alarmed   and a search was made, and about 7:30 the lifeless body was found   hanging in the sheep shed a short   distance from the house.  

His plans were well made   carried out. He placed a rope   over one of the rafters and then   stood on a nail keg, and when the   rope was properly adjusted   around his neck he gave the keg   a kick, letting himself drop into   eternity.

Just as soon as the body was   found messages were sent in all   directions over the phone and in a   short time a large crowd of   neighbors and friends gathered at   the place and the body was tenderly   carried to the house.

No coroner's inquest was held   as the family was satisfied that   he had planned and carried out   the taking of his own life.

A son who resides in Oregon   was notified of the father's death   by wire and a reply was received   yesterday morning stating that   he had started and he arrived in   Belford today. The funeral-will   take place tomorrow (Friday).

Mr. Straight was one of Taylor County’s old and respected citizens, and financially he was well to do. Why he committed this rash   act no living soul will ever know.   He leaves a wife and five children   with broken hearts to mourn his   death, and many relatives and   friends who will share their sorrow   with the bereaved family.

[STRAIGHT, WILLIAM CURTIS]

Blockton News, Thursday, September 23, 1920, [p. 1]

Obituary – Nature gathers her harvest almost continuously throughout the year. Some plants come to maturity almost before we are aware of their presence and ere others indicate their life by the first branches. The Alpine Primrose and the beautiful pink Andromeda of the Arctic regions and some of the [beautiful flowers] of our own land [words unreadable] the snow and [word unreadable] of early maturity. And even so appears some lives; and "if we could but see," doubtless they have served an important mission, even as the flowers. Other lives come to the full development of the later summer and while in full strength are overtaken by disease or storm and are stricken in their strength. Thus it was with him who lies before us.

Wm. Curtis Straight was born in Taylor County, October 30, 1860, and departed this life Sept. 6, 1920, at his home in Jackson Township, at the age of 60 years.

With the exception of two years spent in Cleveland, Ohio, during his boyhood days, he has lived in Taylor County, where by industry and study he became one of the most successful farmers in this section. Strictly honest in all his business relationships, a faithful, companionable husband, loving and thoughtful father, a kind and helpful neighbor and business associates, the admiration of many friends, the love and trust of his family. And today the sympathy of the community is ungrudgingly given.

Mr. Straight was united in marriage to Ida Mae Stoner Sept. 21, 1884; and to them was born eight children, all of whom are living: Mrs. Chas. Mason and Chas. W. Straight, Terrebonne, Oregon; Mrs. Geo. Crilly, Campbell, Neb.; Miss Ella Straight, Des Moines; Truman Straight, Mrs. B. C. Fent, Jesse G. Straight and Miss Ethel Straight, Bedford.

Besides the immediate family two sisters and three brothers and nine grandchildren are living; another sister and a brother preceeded him to the great beyond.

Another name is added to the long list of toll taken by the dread epidemic, the influenza, so prevalent the past two winters, as Mr. Straight never recovered from that sickness.

[Swett, Rebecca Ann Morris]

Blockton News

Thursday     March 6, 1919     [p. 1]

Obituary

Rebecca [Ann] Morris was born in Illinois February 22, 1833, and passed away at the home of her son, C. [yrus] V. [inson] Swett, in Blockton, Saturday morning, March 1, 1919, aged 86 years and 8 days.

She was united in marriage to Cyrus Swett on March 4, 1852, in Des Moines, Iowa. To this union were born eleven children, eight of whom remain to mourn the loss of a faithful and loving mother. The surviving children are William  [Thomas] Swett, of Benton; Mary C. [atherine] Rusco, of Athelstan; Caroline Reed, of Bedford; Ida A. [lice] Merriman, of Armington, Montana; Rosa Bella Walston, of Blockton; Dora F. [rances] Older, of Blockton; Cyrus V. [inson] Swett, of Blockton, and John [Alvin] Swett, of St. Joseph, Missouri. Besides the children she leaves to cherish her memory a brother, James Morris, and two half-brothers, Walter Morris of Wenatchee, Washington, and A. K. Morris, of Bedford; forty-three grandchildren, seventy great grandchildren and seven great great grandchildren and many other relatives and friends.

Within a year after their marriage in 1852 the family, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Swett and their infant son, William, came to Jefferson Township, Taylor County, and their second child, Mary C. [atherine] Rusco was the first white child born in the township. The husband died January 5, 1892.

Mrs. Swett united with the Mt. Zion Baptist church over a half century ago and continued a faithful and consistent Christian until death called her. She realized that [rest of sentence unreadable] and expressed [rest of sentence unreadable].

Funeral services were held at the Blockton Christian church Sunday afternoon at one o’clock, conducted by Rev. Grover C. Flannery, and interment was made in the Platteville cemetery.

[Tamerius, James Henry]

Blockton News

Thursday     May 12, 1927    [p. 1]

James Tamerius Dead

The report was received in town yesterday morning that James Tamerius had shot himself. Whether intentionally or accidentally we do not know. Later he was reported dead. Mr. Tamerius was in the employ of James Ray near Isadora.

[Tamerius, James Henry]

Blockton News

Thursday     May 19, 1927    [p. 1]

Obituary

James H. [enry] Tamerius was born in Marion County, Iowa, Oct. 27, 1881, and departed this life May 11, 1927, at his home near Isadora, Mo., at the age of 45 years, 6 months and 14 days.

He was married in 1906 at Bedford to Elizabeth [Louisa] Reeves. To this union six children were born, all of whom are at home at the present time. He moved to Worth County about 16 months ago, near Isadora where he resided until the time of his death.

He leaves to mourn his loss his wife, six children—Florence, Carl, LaVerne, Josephine, Andrew and Pauline; father and mother, two sisters and four brothers—Mrs. Joe Matheny, Mrs. Paul Matheny, Frank, Woody, Roy and Hoyet [Hoyt] Tamerius, besides a number of other relatives and friends.

The funeral was conducted from the home to Platteville by Rev. L. B. Day where the body was laid to rest. The Allee Brothers furnished the music, singing "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," "Death Is Only a Dream," "Nearer My God to Thee," and' "Does Jesus Care?" Mrs. Geo. Allee presided at the organ. The pallbearers were Herald Hall, T. E. Gould, James Gould, C. Mosier, Phillip Delles and Geo. Scroggie.

We extend our deepest sympathy to the bereaved family and ask God's mercy upon them in their deep sorrow. May they look to the Father in heaven for comfort from whence cometh all our help.

[Tamerius, Ralph Franklin]

Bedford Times-Press

Wednesday       January 10, 1996     p. 8

RALPH FRANK TAMERIUS

Ralph Frank  [lin] Tamerius, age 77 years, 24 days, was born December 4, 1918 at home in Ringgold County, near Maloy, Iowa to parents Frank Cleveland and Ruth Scott Tamerius. He died on December 28, 1995 in St. Joseph Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska.

He lived and grew to maturity in the Blockton, Iowa area where he attended the Blockton Public Schools and the Christian Church.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on August 20, 1940 and served until August 1946. He served as a Torpedo man’s Mate Second Class serving on the U.S.S. Morrison during WW II. This ship was sunk near Okinawa on May 4, 1945 by a kamikaze pilot. In this skirmish he was wounded and received a purple heart.

After coming home from the service he was engaged in farming for a few years in the Bedford area. He then moved to San Diego, California where he was employed by the U.S. Navy Department in the Electronics Command for about 10 years. He received several citations of merit awards for his work there.

He then lived in the state of Washington and worked for AT&T before returning to the Bedford area in 1970. He was employed by Taylor County as Weed Commissioner for several years before his retirement.

He was preceded in death by his parents: Frank and Ruth Tamerius, and a brother: John D. [onald] Tamerius.

Left to cherish his memory are his daughter Rhonda Lee Key and her husband, Ivan, granddaughter Tisha Key, and grandson Christopher Key. Also, two sisters: Francel Barton and Thelma Walston, and one brother: Terence Tamerius, and many nephews and nieces.

Ralph delighted his many relatives and friends with colorful stories from his life's adventures. He was known as a practical joker to friends and family. He was also a regular at the Cafe for coffee and the social hour.

He was a kind and generous father and grandfather, a considerate son, brother, and uncle and will be greatly missed by all his loved ones.