Obit: Sazama, John (1864 - 1938)

Contact: History Buffs

Surnames: Sazama, McIllhatton, Blake, Stahmer, Kuethe, Taylor, Jones, Hartley, Orgish, Wyman, Bradow, Wallner, Lang, Williams, Pecher, Swachinow, Wiegend, Dahlke

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 12/22/1938

Sazama, John (1864 - 16 Dec. 1938)

John Sazama of Colby, age 74, was killed early Friday morning when he was struck by an auto while he was walking along Highway 13 about three miles north of Spencer.

The elderly man arose at 3:00 o’clock and started for Marshfield. He had been a patient at the Marshfield hospital recently for the removal of a cataract and was returning for his glasses. He had gone about eight miles of the way when he was killed at about 6:00 o’clock in the morning. The driver of the car was Lowell McIllhatton, age 24, of Spencer, who was going south at the time.

"I don’t know how the accident happened," M. C. Blake, Marathon county traffic officer quoted McIllhatton as saying, "I didn’t see the man until he was in the path of my car. I couldn’t stop in time."

The victim was dead on arrival at a physician’s house in Spencer. He suffered fractures of the skull, neck, left arm and both legs.

Dr. A. H. Stahmer, Marathon county coroner, impaneled a jury which viewed the body and the scene of the accident. An inquest will be held later. Members of the jury are H. A. Kuethe, Lowell Taylor, Ralph Jones, Charles Hartley, Robert Orgish and Ed. Wyman.

Sazama was born in Germany in 1864 and came to this country in 1882. He lived in Chicago a short time and then settled in the town of Frankfort, where he resided up to five years ago when he moved to Colby.

He is survived by his widow, Anna; two sons, John and Paul Sazama, town of Frankfort; two daughters, Mrs. Arthur Bradow, town of Frankfort, and Mrs. William Wallner, Milwaukee; two brothers, Joseph Sazama, Colby and Welzel Sazama, town of Hull and nine grandchildren.

Funeral services were held at St. Mary’s Catholic church Tuesday morning, Rev. L. J. Lang officiating, and internment was made in the Colby cemetery. Pall bearers were Joe Williams, John and George Pecher and Math and Joe Sazama.

Out of town people here for the funeral were William Wallner of Milwaukee, George Swachinow of Boyd, Joe Pecher of Athens, Bruno Dahlke and family of Edgar, George Wiegend of Athens.

The deceased was a quiet, unassuming gentleman, always doing his duties as he saw them. He was well liked by all who knew him and will be missed by many.