Obit: Syth, Bernard Alan (1944 - 1964)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon

Email: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Syth, Anderson, Mayenschein, Bertz, Lucas, Gorsegner, Hartung

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI.) November 19, 1964

(6 October 1944 - 15 November 1964)

Funeral services were held in Greenwood Wednesday morning for Bernard Alan Syth, 20, Clark County’s 19^th traffic accident victim of 1964, who was killed about 9:30 p.m. Sunday.  Syth was a passenger in a car driven by Kenneth Bertz, 20, of Loyal, when it struck a cow on a Hendren town road eight miles west of Greenwood. Bertz was uninjured.

Syth, whose engagement to Miss Bonnie Anderson of Neillsville and formerly of Greenwood was announced a few months ago, was the son of Mrs. Gerrold (Leona) Syth of Greenwood.  Miss Anderson is a student nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Marshfield, where he was taken following the accident.

Syth, was born October 6, 1944, in Greenwood, and was graduated from high school there in 1962.  He had been employed at Hohl Bros. garage and service station in Greenwood.  His father died in 1950.

The Rev. Edward Hartung officiated at the mass in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, from which the services were held.  Burial was made in the parish cemetery.

Surviving besides his mother are: two brothers, DuWayne of Santa Clara, Calif., and Ronald of San Diego, Calif., and three sisters, Geraldine of Chicago, Ill.; Mrs. Norman (Rita) Mayenschein of Greenwood, and Suzann, at home.

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District Atty. Everett C. Gorsegner said Wednesday that no intentional negligence had been uncovered in the official investigation of the accident.

Bertz told officers that he saw four cows in the road as his car topped a rise in the road.  He was unable to avoid one of them, and the animal was thrown up and against the windshield.  It rolled on over the top of the 1964 model car, onto the trunk cover, then back into the road.  The cow was owned by Mrs. William Lucas of Willard, Mr. Gorsegner told The Clark County Press.  Damage to the automobile was placed at about $300.

Each traffic death establishes a new high in Clark County. The previous high in a year for Clark County was 16; last year there were 15 traffic deaths.