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- [S927] Obituary.
John Stoffel Dead
The sad news reached us Thursday of last week, that John Stoffel was killed at his home in Meadows Township, forty miles from Lemon, S.D. on Wednesday.
Mr. Stoffel in company with Albert Polifka went out a short distance from their home to dig lighter coal, which is found there far from the surface of the ground and while working in the hole, the wall caved in and buried him under it. It required two hours to reach him and the men found he was dead.
The remains were brought to Fairmount Friday and services were held in the M.E. Church before placing the remains in their last resting place near German Church.
Mr Stoffel was born in the ...of Childs, in 1879 and grew to manhood there, afterwards moving to Campbell where he spent several years. From there he went to North Dakota four years ago and recently returned from there to Meadows where he took up a claim.
The deceased was a young and highly respected by all who knew him, he was of exemplary habits and his grief stricken young wife and three small children have the deepest sympathy lended to them in the sad and unfortunate ending of their beloved husband and father.
How it came about
Having completed a nice little home for his wife and three little children and everything in readiness to move in their new home, with the exception of coal, Mr Stoffel in company with is brother-in-law, Albert Polifka, left their homes Tuesday morning, the 17th and went 10 miles to J.P Polifka's place where there is an abundance of coal to be had only for the digging. The two young men took dinner with Mr. Polifka, who would have gone with them to get their coal, the three would have taken off the dirt and the coal could have been gotten out without any danger from the outside, but it being about four o'clock, the two ran the risk of their lives by going into the mine and while digging the bank caved-in, falling on Mr. Stoffel killing him instantly and his companion barely escaped. For two hours eight men worked hard to extricate the unfortunate man.
The remains were taken overland sixty miles to Lemmon, where they were embalmed and made ready for shipment. The Masonic Lodge at Lemmon took charge of the body while at the place.
Last Saturday morning at 9:10, the remains of John Stoffel arrived here over the Milwaukee from Meadow, S.D., accompanied by his wife and brother-in-law, Albert Polifka.
The Masons of Fairmount met the remains and conducted them to the Methodist Church, where they were under the care of the Masonic Order until two o'clock in the afternoon when the services were held, conducted by Rev. J.N. Loach, whose words to the grief-stricken young wife and relatives were of the deepest sympathy.
The church was tastefully decorated with white crepe, white flowers and green ferns by kind and loving friends who knew and loved him in life from a child to manhood. After the service the remains were followed to the cemetery in Minnesota by a large number of relatives and friends to pay their last respects in death to see them laid away in their last resting place. The pallbearers were from the Masonic lodges as follows: Mr. Schendel of Campbell lodge; S.H. Blair, Carston Peterson, Geo. Reedy, Walter Pelham and B.W. Clabaugh of Fairmount lodge.
The parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Stoffel of Halbrite, Canada, the father, mother and brother, Edwin, of Halbrite, Canada, his brother, Geo. and wife of Orr, N.D. and sister, Mrs Charles Kuentzel and husband of White, S.D. and two brother-in-laws, Geo. Polifka of Wilmar, Minnesota, Albert Polifka, Bison, S.D. were here to attend the funeral, besides a number of friends and relatives from Campbell, Childs, Doran and White Rock. The sympathy of all is extended to the bereaved young widow and fatherless little children.
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1879 - 1908 (29 years)