EVERETT BROWN, 83, passed away June 23, 1986 at Decatur Memorial
Hospital, Decatur, Illinois. Everett was known as a distinguished
gentleman who had nothing but a kind word for his friends and
neighbors. Those who knew him best appreciated his positive outlook
towards others and looked to him as an example to follow.
Everett was a proud owner of a 19 HP Keck Gonnerman and was
active in many Illinois shows including Pontiac, Arcola, and
Pinkneyville. He was a 60 year member of the Masonic Lodge and was
also a Shriner.
Everett Brown will be dearly missed by his family, friends and
show exhibitors and spectators who had come so accustomed to his
gentlemanly presence.
Submitted by Fred Nolan, Arcola, Illinois.
ROGER D. DRUMMOND and his wife BARBARA were killed in a car
accident September 6, 1986. Roger Drummond was 43 years old. He was
a farmer and truck driver and had served in the Army National
Guard. Over the past few years Roger had shown steam engines at
steam shows in Ohio. The last engine that he had out to the shows
was a 30 HP Avery undermounted that was shown at Urbana, Ohio. Due
to hard times on the farm Roger started driving a truck last
spring.
Submitted by Gene Drummond, 15509 Drummond Road, Orient, OH
43146.
We lost a good and wise man, Mr. JOHN P. W. FRIEDRICHS (known as
Wally), 62, on July 3, 1986, suddenly. Though he had some health
problems, they were not considered of a serious nature. Wally and
his brother-in-law Roy Benoit had been fishing when he was stricken
with a heart attack.
Wally was educated as an agricultural economist at which he
earned his living, and was very interested and active in steam
engines and boilers around Northern Minnesota and North Dakota
steam threshers shows. He leaves a family of eight children and
wife Donna.
Submitted by E. D. Dewhurst, 712 N. Front, Crookston,
MN.
ROY IRVING CASE, SR., 98 years old and the last surviving
grandchild of Jerome Increase Case, died August 17 in Racine,
Wisconsin, after a brief illness.
In spite of his advanced age, Mr. Case lived alone in his own
home, and up until this past summer, took unaided daily walks along
Racine’s Main Street.
One of four boys who were the children of J. I. Case’s only
son, Jackson, Roy Case was predeceased by his brothers Jerome I.,
Harry I. and Percival F.
Starting in 1910, Mr. Case worked for a decade at the
now-defunct J. I Case Plow Works, which had been established as a
separate enterprise from the original J. I. Case Threshing Machine
company. One of his duties for the Plow Works involved going to the
Racine Post Office each morning where he, along with a
representative from the Threshing Machine Co. and an independent
arbiter (to settle disputes) would sort the mail addressed to
‘J. I. Case Company.’
Roy I. Case at his home in Racine early last August, with Thomas
G. Lee, left, of Calhoun, Kentucky, and George W. Hedtke, of Davis
Junction, Illinois. The painting above the sofa is of J. I. Case
driving two of his fine horses and accompanied by his wife, Lydia
Ann.
‘I used to grab anything that made the slightest mention of
the word ‘plow’ and put it in my pile of mail,’ Mr.
Case told visitors last August.
In 1978, the State of Wisconsin proclaimed June 9 as ‘Roy
Case Day’ to honor his bow hunting accomplishments. He was said
to be the first white man (non-Indian) to kill a deer in Wisconsin
with a bow and arrow and hunted caribou on the tundra in his
eighties.
Mr. Case is survived by two sons, Roy, Jr. of Mission Viejo,
California, and Kaleb of Marinette, Wisconsin, 10 grandchildren and
four great grandchildren.
Submitted by Arthur P. Brigham, husband of Helen Case
Brigham.
HENRY L. OSWALD was born November 2, 1900 to Frank and Lois Ruse
Oswald in Monmouth, Illinois. Reared and educated in Monmouth, he
married Lora Black and had two daughters, Beverly Oswald and
Barbara Oswald Biddle.
A kind and gentle man, Henry was devoted to his family, living
his entire life in Monmouth, working for the Post Office as a mail
carrier for many years. Weather, illness and many other adversities
of life were no deterrent to Henry in his appointed rounds, for in
his book, the mail must go through, and for Henry it did.
As a boy, he was a lover of the iron monsters that invaded that
part of the country every summer to thresh the acres of yellow
wheat that was raised, and as he grew older he longed more and more
to become a part of it. However, conditions being what they were
with the steam engines giving way to the gasoline tractor, then to
the self-propelled combine, these dreams were never realized.
Then along came the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion at Mt.
Pleasant, Iowa and as it grew bigger and bigger every year, so did
Henry’s desire to be a part of it. So one day the opportunity
came in the form of an under-mounted Avery engine which was for
sale. After discussing it with his friends and relatives, he
purchased the Avery and became an active member of the Old
Threshers Organization.
Each year the Old Threshers chooses an engine to be Engine of
the Year and in 1983 Henry’s engine was to have that honor.
This was one of the highlights of Henry’s life, and he took the
greatest of pride in showing it to the many visitors and driving it
in the parades.
Henry left us last April 25th at the age of eighty five, leaving
a great void in our hearts. A man of simple tastes, he was good,
kind and warm, and he wasn’t afraid to show his love for his
family and friends. He didn’t live in a fine house or drive a
fine car. A modest home, a beat up pick-up truck and a steam
traction engine was enough for Henry. These and his family were his
life.
Henry was a talker. Like Will Rogers, he never met a man he
didn’t like. To meet Henry was to be grabbed by the arm and
taken around and introduced to all his friends and trying his best
to make you feel at home. He had stories to tell and would listen
to yours. His favorite expression was ‘Glad to see you. Come
over here, there’s somebody I want you to meet’. Dressed in
his bib overalls and battered engineer’s cap, he was the
utlimate in good will. We pray that throughout our days we shall
seek to emulate and teach those values to those in whose midst we
live.
I hope I am not being sacrilegious when I say that I like to
think that Henry is up there somewhere, still in his overalls and
cap, perhaps with a white robe over his shoulders and a halo over
the cap, greeting newcomers at the Gate with ‘I’m sure glad
to see you. Come over here with me. There’s Someone over here I
want you to meet’.
THEODORE YODER passed away on October 5, 1986, at his home at
the age of 81. Ted was a very active member of the Tri-State Gas
Engine and Tractor Association Inc. in Portland, Indiana. He joined
the club in 1967 as a member and moved up the ranks to hold the
office of Vice-President. In 1981 he did not run for office and was
named Honorary Vice-President at that time.
His jobs at the shows were making apple butter and he was also
the head sawyer. Ted loved the saw mill and made many additions to
our mill including a top saw. He was an active member with
Tri-State up until his death.
Ted lived in Linn Grove, Indiana and died of an apparent heart
attack. He was the brother of Ruth Liby of Muncie. A native and
lifelong resident of Adams County, he was a retired well driller
and sawmill employee. His wife, Edith Campbell Yoder, died in 1970.
Burial was in the MRE cemetery, Berne. Ted was truly an asset to
our club and will surely be missed by all who knew him.
Submitted by Dave Reum, President, Tri-State Gas Engine and
Tractor Association, Inc., Portland, Indiana.
