Obit: Haas, F. W. (1894 - 1930)

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Surnames: HAAS FIRNSTAHL SCHEMMER HOFFMAN ZARNKE MEINKE KRAMER WIERSIG RUNZHEIMER LADWIG WIRTH HUDSON

----Sources: COLBY PHONOGRAPH (Colby, Clark County, Wisconsin) 9 Oct 1930

Haas, F. W. (11 Aug. 1894 - 4 Oct. 1930)

F. W. Haas, who resides in the town of Hull, one and one-quarter mile north of Cherokee, died instantly Saturday afternoon as the result of being electrocuted by a charge from a high line, owned by the Northern States Power Company, through which 6,900 volts of electricity passes constantly. The accident happened at the Hass home where Mr. Haas and Will Zarnke, Sr., a neighbor, were erecting a line fence. As the land was hilly, Mr. Haas secured a long steel pole, a part of one of these "V" shaped braces used for wind mills and called "angle irons," tied a red handkerchief to one end was going to poke the other end into the ground so that they would have a mark to guide them in building the fence. Unfortunately, however, as Mr. Haas raised the pole, it came into contact with the high line wires and sent an electric current through him. He dropped the pole, fell into Mr. Zarnke’s arms and cried, "Oh, my." He breathed a few minutes but passed away before Dr. A. L. Schemmer, who was called, arrived.

Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at one o’clock at the home and at two o’clock at the Zion Lutheran church, Rev. O. Hoffman officiating, and internment was made in the Colby cemetery.

The deceased had been a member of the Raymond Firnstahl Post No. 266 of the American Legion and members of the post acted as an escort at the funeral. The pallbearers were Carl Meinke, Julius Kramer, Rudolph Wiersig, Henry Runzheimer, Frank Ladwig and Walter Wiersig.

The deceased was born in the town of McMillan on August 11th, 1894, thus reaching the age of thirty-six years, one month and twenty-three days. He spent his boyhood days in that town and came to Colby in 1919. He was a veteran of the World War and served in the army during the war. He was married to Miss Esther Wirth on April 2, 1919, to which union four children were born, namely: Ruben, age ten; Roland, age eight; Ella, age six; and Frank Jr., age three. For three years, he managed the W. Wiersig farm and purchased the L. O. Hudson farm in 1922. Besides his wife and children, his sudden departure is mourned by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Julius Haas of the town of McMillan who were born in Germany; two brothers, Herman and Arthur, both of the town on McMillan; three sisters, Mrs. E. R. Wiersig of Cherokee, Tillie of McMillan and Ida of McMillan.

The deceased was a good neighbor and Christian and well liked and respected by all who knew him. The word of his death flew over our little city as on the wings of wind, and wherever it touched, it left sorrow and the expressions of sympathy for the bereaved ones.