Surnames: Beaver, Platten, Wedl, Schmitz

The Loyal Tribune 03 December 1942

Beaver, Philip (8 MAY 1894 - 2 DEC 1942)

Philip Beaver, 48, was fatally injured at 9:15 Wednesday morning when he fell in front of a switch engine in the Soo Line yards in Marshfield. He died soon after he was taken to St. Joseph’s hospital there. Details of the accident were not available as the Tribune went to press Wednesday afternoon. The obituary will be published next week.

(Follow on in The Loyal Tribune 10 December 1942)

Loyal residents were much shocked and grieved to hear of then death of Philip Beaver in Marshfield last Wednesday morning, Dec. 2.

While he was clearing snow out of a switch on the Nekoosa main line he was struck and run over by a switch engine and three cars. It is reported that the train backing westward carried him under the wheels for some distance and his body was discovered by the train crew after the train had passed over him. The lower part of his body was badly mangled, and he also received a severe puncture wound near the temple. He died in an ambulance en route to St. Joseph’s hospital.

Mr. Beaver had been employed by the Soo Line as a section laborer in Marshfield since last May.

It is reasoned that because he was bundled against the sub-zero weather and probably facing the strong west wind he did not hear or see the train approaching from the east. There were no witnesses to the actual accident.

Philip Beaver, 48, was born in Loyal, May 8, 1894. He grew to manhood in this vicinity, and on Oct. 27, 1926, he was married to Miss Anna Platten.

Surviving besides his wife are nine children from 15 years to seven months of age, Esther, Marjorie, Gerald, Harvey, Raymond, Mary, Anthony, Jerome and Kenneth, all at home.

He was one of a large family of children, 19 of whom grew to womanhood and manhood. A few died in infancy. The sisters surviving are Mrs. Joe Wedl of Loyal and Mrs. Peter Schmitz of California; also seven brothers, George Beaver of Granton and Nick, Mike, William, Ed, Bernard and Matthew Beaver, all of Loyal.

Mr. Beaver was a veteran of World War 1 and a member of the American Legion. He was also a member of the Holy Name society and St. Anthony’s church here. For the past seven years he has been caretaker of the parish cemetery. He had served one term and a part of a second term as a member of the local election board.

Military funeral services were held Saturday morning in St. Anthony’s church with the Rev. Aloys Zinthefer officiating at the requiem high mass. Interment was in the parish cemetery.

Members of the American Legion served as pallbearers. They were Emil Wepfer, Leo Meyer, Henry Boe, Jesse Raab, Philip Capelle and William Murphy.

The relatives from out of town who attended the funeral were George Beaver, Granton; Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Bauer and children of Bakersville; Nick Boackhous and Mrs. Anton Meyer, St. Nazianz; Mrs. Nick Weiter, Cleveland, Wis.; Mr. and Mrs. Henry Sippel, Fond u Lac; Mr. and Mrs. Joe Wesling, Marshfield, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Schmidtkunz, Unity.

To those who knew and loved him best, his devoted wife and his beloved children, the Tribune joins all Loyal in offering respectful sympathy.