Obit: Messer, Ernest L. (1867 - 1948)

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Surnames: MESSER SMITH OLSON DOMER LANGJAHR GATCHELL VANDERCOOK DIETEL EVENSON LOUGHEAD EVERS LANGDON SCHJONNEMAN VOGT CREED LAURSEN TAPLIN TENNIS SORENSON BINNING WIEDENHOEFT ERICKSON ANDERSON CROSSGROVE WHALEN MEYER CRAMER PFLUM SAUTER KRAUSE FULLER ANDREWS

----Sources: Marathon County Register (Unity, Clark Co., Wis.) 04/02/1948

Messer, Ernest L. (17 Jun. 1867 - 31 Mar. 1948)

Funeral services will be held Saturday afternoon at 1:30 at the home and at 2:00 at the Methodist Church for Mr. E. L. Messer, 80, who passed away at his home in the village at 3:15 Wednesday afternoon.

Mr. Messer had been ill for some time.

The body will lie in state at the home until the time of services and the casket will not be opened at the church. Rev. F. J. Smith and Rev. J. A. Olson will officiate at the services.

A more complete obituary will be published next week.

----Sources: Marathon County Register (Unity, Clark Co. Wis.) 04/09/1948

Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon for Ernest L. Messer, 80, at 1:30 at his home and at 2:00 o’clock at the Methodist Church, Rev. Frederick J. Smith and Rev. J. A. Olson, officiating. The choir sang, "The Old Rugged Cross," and Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Domer sang, "Till The Morning." Mrs. Elmer Langjahr was accompanist. Burial took place in the Colby Cemetery.

Ernest L. Messer, 80, son of Cyrus and Livonia Messer, was born June 17, 1867, at Lincoln, Maine. In June 1871, he and his mother, sister Flora and brother Ansel came West to Black River Falls, where they lived with his grandfather, A. C. Gatchell, before moving to Spencer in the fall of 1885. Here he received his education and worked in the saw mill before learning the printers trade from Gilbert E. Vandercook; then worked in several printing offices in Wisconsin, and the Western states. He was married to Anna Pauline Dietel, October 15, 1895 at Marshfield. They lived at Phillips and Prairie du Chien where he was editor of papers. In 1908 he bought the Marathon County Register and in August 1910 the family moved to Unity. He became Postmaster in November 1910, a position he held until 1935, when he was retired. He was village treasurer from 1937 to 1945. He was reporter for the Marathon County Register (which he had sold in 1920), Milwaukee Journal, and Wausau Record Herald until 1944.

He was a member of the Masonic and Modern Woodmen Lodges and President of the church choir. He was director of the choir for fifteen years.

The survivors are three daughters and three sons: Mrs. Martin (Myra) Evenson, Mrs. Thomas (Gladys) Loughead, Unity; Mrs. Milton (Kathryn) Evers, Menomonee Falls, Lloyd L. Messer, Benton Harbor, Mich.; Alvah E. Messer, Spencer; and Ansel E. Messer, Unity; one sister, Mrs. Flora Langdon, Rhinelander, 19 granchildren and one great-grandchild. Two brothers, Clarence and Ansel Messer, preceded him in death and his wife passed away March 27, 1920.

Honorary pallbearers were Morgan Schjonneman, George Cook, Herman Vogt, Wm. Creed, Mads Laursen, L. P. Taplin, Unity; and Charles Creed, Green Bay and Gilbert E. Vandercook, Milwaukee.

Active pallbearers were Melvin Tennis, John Sorenson, Calvin Cook, Henry Binning, Floyd Binning and Nyole Creed.

Paul Olson, Gilbert Wiedenhoeft, William A. Creed, Paul Erickson, and Roy Cook, Boy Scouts Troop 86, had charge of the flowers.

Mrs. Rudolph Anderson and Wayne Salter, Marshfield, Mrs. Russell Andrews, Spencer; and Mrs. Howard Crossgrove, Colby, once members of the church choir, sang with the choir.

Relatives from out of town attending the services were Lloyd L. Messer, Benton Harbor, Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Evers, daughter Frances and son Duane, David Whalen, Tomahawk; Miss Renatta Meyer, Green Bay; Miss LaNora Meyer, Neenah; Mr. and Mrs. George Cramer, Marathon; Mr. and Mrs. John Dietel and son, John Jr., Spencer; Frank Dietel and Joseph Pflum, Marshfield; Mr. and Mrs. August Sauter, Dorchester; Mr. and Mrs. Martin Sauter, Marathon; Mr. and Mrs. William Krause, Hiles; Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Fuller, Wausau.