Obit: Eckes, Jerome Walter (1915 - 1948)
Contact: Stan
Email: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Eckes, Johnson, Dunn, Bey, Borens, Courneyer, Kanter, Mews, Hendrickson, Streiter, Simenson, O’Brien, Kops, Hilbert; Kurth, Hentzes, Leisinger

----Source: Marathon County Register (Unity, Marathon County, Wis.) Friday, 7 May 1948

Eckes, Jerome Walter (10 Feb. 1915 - 6 May 1948)

Two Unity Men Killed in Accident

Jerome Eckes, 33, and Justice V. Johnson, 41, both of Unity, were instantly killed when their car struck a truck loaded with five tons of lumber on Highway 20, 10 miles east of Abbotsford, at 7:15 o’clock Thursday evening.

Eckes, the driver of the car suffered severe chest injuries and fractures throughout the body.

Johnson, a passenger in the Eckes car, received a severe skull fracture.

The accident occurred in the Town of Frankfurt, 2 miles west of the intersection of 29 and 97.

It happened when Eckes, going west on an upgrade, attempted to pass a car and crashed into an approaching two-ton truck driven by Lloyd Simenson, 27, Stanley.

Officers said the Unity car was a total wreck. Damage to the truck was placed at $950.00 The left front wheel of the truck was also damaged in the crash.

Both bodies were in the car when passing motorists went to their aid, but Johnson’s body fell out as the door was opened.

Jerome Walter Eckes, son of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Eckes, 301 S. State Street, Marshfield, was born in Marshfield, Feb. 10, 1915, received his education at St. John’s Parochial School and was married at Marshfield August 1, 1942, to Melba Dunn.

He entered military service February 13, 1942, and served as a combat medic with the Fourth Armored Division in the European Theater of Operations before being discharged at Fort Sheridan, Ill., October 22, 1945 with the rank of technician fifth grade.

He had received the Bronze Star Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the European Theater of Operations ribbon with five battle stars, the Combat Medic Badge, and the Presidential Unit Citation.

Since 1946 he had been residing at Unity, where he operated a hotel and tavern.

He was a member of the American Legion Post No. 1886, Veterans of Foreign Wars in Marshfield.

Surviving besides his parents and wife are a daughter, Marsha, 4, and son, Dale, 6 months. His only brother, Morris, died in 1923.

A Requiem High Mass was read Monday morning at 10 o’clock at St. John’s Catholic Church for Jerome W. Eckes. The Rev. Walter Dillenburg of Our Lady of Peace congregation was in charge of the rites and burial took place in Hillside Cemetery, where the Marshfield Veterans of Foreign Wars Post was in charge of the military rites.

Pallbearers were Rueben Bey, Ralph Borens, and Charles Courneyer, members of the Marshfield VFW Post and Herbert Kanter, Ed Mews and Forrest Johnson, members of the American Legion Post of Unity.

People who came from a distance for the funeral were Mrs. Merle Watts, Mrs. Vincent Warner, Mr. and Mrs. Anton Wagner, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hoffman, and Mrs. Ed. Ludtke, all of Milwaukee; Mrs. Henry Dunn, Auburn, N.Y.; Walter Hoffman and Ann Duzinski, Ladysmith; Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Taube, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Klestling, Mrs. Ethel Hoffman, and Joseph Hoffman, Ripon; Mr. and Mrs. Martin Wirkus, Waukegan, Ill.; and Mr. and Mrs. Alex Derfus, Stratford.

Justice V. Johnson, whose parents also reside at Unity, was a railroad section employee.

He was married at the Colby Lutheran Church November 11, 1931, to Isabel Kops, who preceded him in death June 4, 1945. He is survived by his five children, Lyle, Janet, Robert, Patricia and Lillian, all at home and by four brothers.

The body lay in state at the Lulloff Funeral Home. Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock, the Rev. J. A. Olson of Trinity Lutheran Church, officiating. Pallbearers were: Ernest Schjonneman, Bob Leisinger, Glen Misener, Oliver Johnson, Tom Loughead and Lester Safemaster. Flower girls were Donna Johnson, Betty Johnson, Merle Jewett, and Helen Djerf.

Out of town relatives were Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Hendrickson, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Streiter of Auburndale; Mr. and Mrs. Ewert Johnson, Owen; Mr. and Mrs. Emil Johnson, Spencer; Mr. and Mrs. James O’Brien, Loyal; Herman Kops, Hilbert; Mr. and Mrs. Norman Kops, Chicago; Mr. and Mrs. Art Kurth and daughter, Delores, Wisconsin Rapids; and Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Hentzes of Plainfield.

----Source: Marathon County Register (Unity, Marathon County, Wis.) Friday, 14 May 1948

In last week’s paper in the Jerome Eckes obituary it stated that Bob Leisinger was pall bearer. It should have been Floyd Binning as pall bearer and Bob Leisinger a driver for one of the cars.