LAURENCE O. BOHLMEYER, Shipman, Missouri, 86, died recently. He
was an avid model engine enthusiast and did some real nice work. He
helped the ladies that had the 16 HP Reeves at Mt. Pleasant,
Iowa.
Submitted by Arthur Bickel, Virden, Illinois 62690.
WILLIAM FRICKER, a long-time reader of the Iron-Men Album, died
on November 27, 1982. He loved to talk about the good old daysabout
mowing hay, raking hay with horses, threshing rice with a Case
separator and a crossmotor Case. I will always treasure and
remember the things he talked about. We will never forget him and
will always treasure his memory. He was a retired mechanic and
farmer. He loved farming and being on the farm. He was 82 years
old.
Submitted by Roy David Fricker, Box 81B, DeValls Bluff,
Arkansas 72041.
MRS. JACK (AMANDA) WILTMAN, 76, LeMars, Iowa, died Friday,
January 14, 1983. She was a charter member of the Pioneer Machinery
Club of Merrill, Iowa. She was well known around the Midwest states
at steam shows where her late husband Jack (who passed away in
1977) was always on hand to run or fix the steam engines in need of
help.
Amanda will be missed at the monthly club meetings and shows
where she helped at many jobs.
Submitted by Harry Bonnema, Route #4, Box 226, LeMars, Iowa
51031.
J. EDWIN FREY was known as Unk to his friends. He was a
well-liked man who was always willing to help anyone. He shared his
knowledge with me and many others. He was a tobacco farmer for many
yearsalso steaming tobacco beds for other farmers. He was a great
hand at running sawmills. His family grew up with a steam and
sawmill education.
Unk was a life member of the Moose, a long-time member of Rough
& Tumble. He joined W. G. H. S. E. A. in its second year and
was one of the first members in the first year of Smithburg H. S.
E. A.
He enjoyed cutting wood for the steam engines at our shows and
loved to help anyone run their engines or tend them. He owned his
own engine for many years.
Unk died January 29 at the age of 73. He will be greatly missed
by family and friends.
Submitted by Fred Arnold, R. D. #1, Box 209A, East Berlin,
Pennsylvania 17316.
CLAYTON L. BROWN, Plant City, Florida, died December 24, 1980.
He knew Rev. Elmer Ritzman personally and furnished two types of
threshers for his museum. He used his models to thresh grain, grind
meal, etc. There hasn’t been an ad in the magazine for some
years, but I still get inquiries. He advertised his models and
shipped them to several different states and Canada. I have one of
many of his models which I would not sell but would be pleased to
show to anyone who wished to call at my home when in Florida.
Submitted by Mabel L. Brown, Plant City, Florida
33566.
EDGAR JACK EARLES passed away on February 21st, 1983. He was
born in Tower City, ND on June 5th, 1899. He attended grade and
high school and after graduation he joined the army and served
during World War I. After the war he worked with the big steam
threshing rigs and also did some steam plowing with steam engines.
After he came to Wisconsin he was a fireman on the railroad for a
number of years. Jack was a carpenter and worked at that trade
until he retired. For a hobby he built clocks and engine models,
usually 11/2-inch scale. He built a 65 HP
Case and thresher, a 1914 20-40 Case tractor and a Red River
thresher, a 19101. H. C. tractor, a 20 HP Avery U M and about six
or seven gasoline engines. Jack did all his own casting and machine
work and his models were almost exact in dimension and detail. He
displayed these models at many reuinions throughout the middle
west. (Surviving him is his wife Erna, nieces, relatives and many
friends.)
Submitted by Clarence Mirk, 2362 No. 85th Street, Wauwatosa,
Wisconsin.
