DALE LUGTEN, 25, of Hamilton, Michigan passed away October 21,
1979 in Grand Rapids, after bravely fighting the effects of a
spreading cancer. Dale loved steam engines, especially his
father’s Keck Gonnerman engines which, along with his brother,
Lyle, he helped operate and maintain. Dale will be greatly missed
by his family and many steam friends.
Submitted by Steve Hineback, 8637 Sparta Avenue, Sparta,
Michigan 49345.
THEODORE L. KRESS, of Blue Grass, Iowa passed away on August 17,
1979 at the age of 80. He retired to Blue Grass in 1969 after
having lived 61 years on the farm east of Blue Grass. Although he
was retired he always maintained an active interest in farming and
never lost his interest in steam.
For many years prior to the advent of the combine he ran a
threshing rig in the Blue Grass area. In 1950 he purchased a 22 HP
Wood Brothers engine. After restoring it he used it to thresh and
to show us kids how it was done. He also exhibited it at various
steam shows. In 1968 he threshed on his farm again for the last
time; this time to show the grandchildren how it was done.
At the time of his death he still had his entire threshing rig
in working condition.
He was a founder and director of the former Mississippi Valley
Old Time Threshers Association. They put on shows at Davenport,
DeWitt, and Maquoketa, Iowa before disbanding.
He especially enjoyed attending the steam shows to see the
equipment in action and to talk over old times.
Submitted by his daughter, Mrs. Kenneth W. Freund, Walcott,
Iowa and his son, Lyle H. Kress, Blue Grass, Iowa.
Thursday, October 4, 1979 marked the passing of ROY R. BOATMAN,
age 88. Roy was a just and upright citizen. He was very
conservative and a hard working man. He was a firm and faithful
believer in his Creator, family, church, neighbors and friends. He
believed in and practiced the Golden Rule. Many days we worked
together restoring many old steam engines.
He was an expert machinist and woodworker. The most unreasonable
and difficult jobs were always a challenge to him. Some way or some
how, he always had success in his work.
He will long be remembered for his work on steam engines and for
building grandfather clocks.
He will be greatly missed, not only by his family and relatives,
but also by others at the many shows and activities he attended.
His smile and conversations were always an uplift to all who knew
him. He bore the cross of life with honesty and dignity. Thus
endeth the life of a just and upright citizen. God bless him and
may his soul rest in peace.
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were
dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens. (II Corinthians 5:1)
Submitted by Dale E. Robinson, Newton, Illinois
62448.
EVERETT ADAMS, Andrews, Indiana died February 2, 1979 as a
result of injuries suffered in an accident in December of 1978.
Everett had a lot of ‘steam engine friends’ and enjoyed
going to steam shows. He covered a lot of states to attend the
shows.
Submitted by Mrs, Helena Adams, Andrews, Indiana
46702.
ETHEL LUELLA CHRISP BOMBERGER departed this life May 23, 1979 at
the age of 81. She wrote the words and music to ‘The Thrill of
Those Steam Engine Threshing Days.’ Her favorite steam engine
was a 16 horse single cylinder Nichols and Shepherd. She liked to
go to steam shows. She was very gifted in writing verse. Her
husband has had ten steam engines and has two now–a 9 horse Case
and a Case 40. She attended 30 steam shows. She will be missed.
Submitted by Warren R. Bomberger, Burwell, Nebraska
68823.
JOSEPH L. MITCHELL, Fleming, Pennsylvania, passed away September
9, at the age of 69. He attended Penn’s Cave at the Nittany
Antique Show. He had subscribed to the Iron Men for years and had
always read every word in it. Perhaps a lot of the older men will
remember. He will be sadly missed.
Submitted by Leona Mitchell, Fleming, Pennsylvania
16835.
CARL D. CARLSON, Sr., 89 years old, Grand Coulee, Washington
died October 4, 1979. He married and moved to Seattle where he
worked for the Nettleton Lumber Company where he was chief engineer
until he retired in 1955. He moved to Raymond for 6 years before
coming to the Grand Coulee area. He was a member of the Western
Steam Friends Association and owned a Russell steam tractor. He
attended threshing bees and engine shows in north central
Washington where he usually fired or operated one of the steam
tractors. Members of the Western Steam Friends, Association and the
Inland Empire Steam and Gas Buffs will miss him.
Submitted by Walt Thayer, Wenatchee, Washington
98801.
A. W. (KIRK) DONAHOO passed away at his home October 16,1979, at
the age of 70. He retired from Charles Chips as maintenance
supervisor in 1974. He was a member of the Tennessee-Kentucky
Threshermen’s Association at Adams, Tennessee; the American
Threshermen’s Association at Pickneyville, Illinois; and a life
member of the Western Minnesota Threshermen’s Association at
Rollag, Minnesota. He also worked for several years with the
Midwest Old Settlers Threshermen’s Association at Mt. Pleasant,
Indiana. He attended shows in South Carolina, Central Kentucky,
Indiana, Pennsylvania and Missouri. Kirk had a host of friends
everywhere he went. He loved the shows and the friends that he had
made over the years. He was a Mason belonging to the Lodge at
Calhoun. Kirk had several gas engines and steam engines. He was a
great help at the Tennessee-Kentucky Threshermen’s Show with
the Corliss engine and anything else that needed attention. We will
all miss this good man.
Submitted by Billy M. Byrd, 369 S. Harrig Street,
Madisonville, Kentucky 42431.
I wish to report at this time, on the loss of one of our great
steam friends and mechanics. LOREN M. WADE, 71, of Tracy,
California, passed away j after a short illness. He was born in
Ross, North Dakota and moved with his family to Saskatchewan,
Canada where he grew to manhood. In 1927 he moved to Seattle to
live with grandparents and in 1927 he moved to Lodi, where he drove
the old Caterpillar Thirty tractor doing farm work. Then he went to
work for the Super Mold Corporation where he learned the machinist
trade, at which he became an expert. During this time, he also
wrestled professionally as ‘The Masked Marvel’ here and
across the country. In 1937 he went to work for the Shell Pipeline
division at Tracy at the Corral Hollow station as a mechanic and
machinist and he retired in 1968 after several years as maintenance
supervisor of machinery.
He became an expert on the Corliss steam pumping engines used in
these plants along the line from Bakersfield to Martinez, with over
30 years of service. He was first class mechanic, top machinist and
an expert gunsmith, machining left-handed actions out of solid bar
stock steel. His collection consisted of a 1912 50 Case steam
traction and a25 Canadian Special Reeves steam traction, both
restored .fully and purchased in the early 1950s, a 6-ton
Austin-Western steam road roller, also restored; a 1922 Stanley
steamer touring car; 28 x 47 Case threshing machine; 60 and 30
Caterpillar tractors, restored and good running order; and many
other small steam engines, fittings and related items. He had a
fully-equipped shop that he used nearly every day and was ready to
talk steam with anyone who would stop by. He had displayed his
engines up and down the West Coast and held several steam threshing
demonstrations at his home with his equipment. I helped with
several of them and spent many hours talking with him about steam
engines. His passing leaves a gap hard to fill.
Submitted by Jack K. Williams, Modesto, California
95350.
