Obit: Calway, Forrest D. (1880 - 1942)

Contact: Crystal Wendt
Email: crystal@wiclarkcountyhistory.org  

Surnames: Calway, Rossman, Housley, Kurth, Frantz, Rainey, O’Neill, Robinson

----Sources: The Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.) 21 May 1942

Calway, Forrest D. (16 Jan. 1880 - 1942)

Forrest D. Calway, 62, attorney and prominent Neillsville resident, died about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday after suffering a heart attack while sitting in his automobile in front of the local post office.

He was sitting at the wheel of the car while Mrs. Calway transacted business in the post office. When she returned after an absence of but a few minutes, she found that he had fallen across the front seat of the car.

She called for assistance by honking the horn. Police Chief Fred A. Rossman, who happened to be near, responded. After a glance, Chief Rossman ran into the post office building and requested Postmaster Louis W. Kurth to call a physician.

Mr. Calway apparently was still alive when Dr. H. W Housley arrived a few minutes later. Chief Rossman said that while the physician was there he heard Mr. Calway gap one or twice.

He was quickly transferred into the back seat by the physician, Chief Rossman, Mr. Kurth, Traffic Officer Harry Frantz, and one or two others who had gathered.

Immediately after arriving at the Calway home on East Fourth Street, the physician made an examination and pronounced Mr. Calway had died before reaching home.

In the last two or three weeks Mr. Calway had suffered several heart attacks, according to friend and acquaintances. About two weeks ago he was seized by an attack while working in his cranberry marsh and fell forward on his face in the water. Only the presence of an employee at the time prevented him from suffocating.

For several days following that occurrence he remained in his home; ut of late he had returned to direct and help with work on his cranberry marsh.

The body was removed to the Lowe Funeral home. Arrangements for the funeral services were postponed until the expected arrival in Neillsville of his daughter, Marian, a student in Minneapolis.

Forrest D. Calway was born in Neillsville, January 16, 1880. He was the son of Samuel and Catherine (Rainey) Calway. He attended the public schools in Neillsville and took a course in business in the Milwaukee Business Schools. As a youth he worked in the Neillsville Furniture factory and in local mercantile establishments.

As a young man was interested in stenography and presently found a place for his capacity in the law office of Sturdeveant & Clark in Neillsville, Wis. He acquired a reputation among attorneys and was in 1904 appointed deputy court reporter. He became official court reporter in Circuit court in 1906.

Form reporting court proceeding Mr. Calway developed a talent for law and gained an education therein, presently becoming a member of the bar. He had been a practicing attorney in Neillsville for a long time. He had also taken an active part in public life, being a member of the county board at the time of his death. He had also served various terms as city attorney.

A comparatively recent interest with Mr. Calway was the development of his cranberry marsh in the town of Hewett. He undertook this enterprise in the depression and carried it through until it had become an important business.

Mr. Calway was married in 1912 to Marian R. O’Neill, the daughter of Judge James O’Neill and Marian (Robinson) O’Neill. There is a daughter, Marian, who has been attending kindergarten school in Minneapolis and who is expected home Thursday morning.