Obit: Riplinger, Benjamin F. #2 (1879 - 1944)

Contact: Stan

Surnames: Riplinger, Wagner, Wilke, Steele, Holtz, Griffiths, Ferguson, Tesmer, Jackson, Reyer, Marsh, Drangle, Harvey, Sturner, George, Lamont, Zassenhaus, Cattanach, Dietsche, Strom, Handrich, Tufts, Peltan, Ludwig, Werner, Schultz, Simuson, Zander, Jakanbek, Daniel, Berry, Machtrab

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 08/17/1944

Riplinger, Benjamin F. #2 (25 Aug. 1879 - 15 Aug. 1944)

A collision between a milk truck and a coupe on an intersection west of the Black Wolf town hall, four miles south of Oshkosh, at about 9:10 o’clock Tuesday morning brought death to Ben F. Riplinger, age 65, of Colby, Wis., and serious injury to his soldier son, Ben, Jr., and to Merlin Wagner, age 21, of Oshkosh.

The older Riplinger died in the Winnebago county ambulance enroute to Mercy hospital from the scene of the accident, apparently from a fractured skull.

Riplinger, Jr., is at the Mercy hospital in Oshkosh suffering from concussion, a skull injury, a fractured left collar bone, a severe back injury and lacerations of the left arm. He was also suffering from shock.

Winnebago county police who investigated described the accident as one of the worst in Winnebago county this year. The coupe in which the Riplingers were riding was so badly crushed that it was necessary to pull the wrecked body apart to extricate the injured men.

The collision was witnessed by Miss LaVern Wilke, Route 2, Oshkosh, who was standing on the platform of the Black Wolf cheese factory which is located on the northeast corner of the intersection.

She said the milk truck, driven by Wagner and owned by the Lone Elm Cheese factory at Van Dyne, was proceeding north and the coupe driven by Riplinger, Jr., was traveling east. Both vehicles approached the intersection at a rather fast rate of speed, she said. The vision of both drivers was obstructed by a field of tall corn growing on the southwest side of the crossing.

The vehicles met almost in the center of the intersection, Miss Wilke stated, the heavily loaded milk truck striking the coupe almost broadside.

Locked together, the two machines careened across the intersection, the coupe being pushed sideways and into a sedan owned by Martha Machtrab of Route 1, Oshkosh, which was parked, unoccupied, in front of the cheese factory.

The momentum of the skid tipped the milk truck in such a manner that the high box fell onto the roof of the coupe, crushing it down to seat level and pinning the two occupants against the dash board.

Wagner had been driving with his left arm protruding out of the milk truck cab window and his arm became pinned between the tipped truck and the wrecked coupe.

When Winnebago county police arrived, they found all three men pinned in the wreckage. Chains were attached to the milk truck to pull it back to an upright position to release Wagner. Crowbars were then used to pry the "pancaked" coupe apart so that the two Riplingers could be lifted out. Both men were alive, but unable to talk when they were removed from the wreckage.

The Riplingers and Wagner were taken to the hospital in ambulances.

Dr. G. A. Steele, county coroner, ordered an inquest and Sheriff Julius G. Holltz selected a jury to view the remains of Riplinger Tuesday afternoon.

The Riplingers were on their way to Fond du Lac from where Ben, Jr., expected to board a train for Camp Howze, Texas.

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 08/17/1944

Services for Ben F. Riplinger will be held at the Lulloff Funeral Home, where the body is lying in state, Friday afternoon at 2:00 o’clock, Rev. G. R. Griffiths, pastor of the Presbyterian church at Abbotsford, and Rev. M. B. Ferguson of Colby officiating.

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 08/17/1944

Wm. George, Art Tesmer and Lenore Berry were in Oshkosh Tuesday and arranged for the transfer of the remains of Ben F. Riplinger, Sr., to Colby, Wis. Young Ben is in a serious condition at the hospital and army authorities request that he be transferred to an army hospital as soon as it is possible to move him.

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 08/24/1944

Funeral services for Benjamin F. Riplinger, Colby insurance agent and real estate salesman who died in an automobile accident near Oshkosh last week Tuesday, were held at the Lulloff Funeral Home last Friday afternoon, Rev. G. R. Griffiths and Rev. M. B. Ferguson officiating, and internment was made in the Colby cemetery. Pall bearers were George Tesmer, Frank Jackson, Ed Reyer, Ray Marsh, all of Colby, Leon Drangle of Gilman and Harry Harvey of Riplinger.

Mr. Riplinger was born in Colby, Wisconsin, on August 25, 1879, thus reaching the age of 64 years, 11 months and 20 days. He was married to Verna Sturner at Colby, Wis., on July 31, 1908, to which union four children were born. One, Mrs. Arthur Tesmer, passed away August 3rd.

Surviving are his widow; two daughters, Mrs. Wm. (Vernetta) George of Gilman and Mrs. Ray (Grace) Harvey of Chicago; one son, Pvt. Ben Riplinger of Camp Howze, Texas; two sisters, Mrs. Angus Lamont and Mrs. Fred Zassenhaus of Colby; and one brother, Fred Riplinger of Riplinger.

The deceased organized the Riplinger box factory and helped build Riplinger. He was vice president of the Wisconsin Private and Contract Truckers’ Ass’n and district manager of the Standard Chemical Co.

Out of town people here for the funeral were Art Tesmer and Mrs. Bud Cattanach of Owen, Mr. and Mrs. F. Zassenhaus of Appleton, Mr. and Mrs. Lamont and Mr. and Mrs. Fred Dietsche of Abbotsford, Mr. and Mrs. J. Sturner and Hubert Sturner of Holcomb, Mr. and Mrs. H. Sturner of St. Paul, Emil Sturner of Lowell, Mrs. Carla Sturner of Stanley, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Dietsche and Mr. and Mrs. Ben Dietsche and Mr. and Mrs. Fred Riplinger of Riplinger, Mrs. Peter Strom, of Peoria, Ed Sturner of Salt Lake City, Al Handrich of Manawa, Judge Crosby of Neillsville, William Tufts of Marshfield, Mr. and Mrs. Mark Peltan of Pittsville, Mrs. Edna Ludwig of Portage, Wm. Werner, Miss Doris Werner and Louis Schultz of Wausau, Mr. and Mrs. Simuson of Phillips, Mr. and Mrs. A. Zander of Merrill, Mrs. O. J. Jakanbek and Sylvia Jakenbek of Phillips, Mrs. J. Daniel of Loyal and Mrs. John Dietsche of Spencer, Wis.