There are those whose passing leaves its void, that everything
remaining seems so different. I’ll never forget the first time
I walked uptown after my father died. It didn’t seem like the
same home town. There were the familiar street corners, the barber
shop, post office, village depot, but something was missing a
personality. Dad was gone!
There are those whose passing brings its changes at the summer
threshermen’s reunions.
Elmer Egbert will no longer be a-round, oiling up his 12 hp.
Frick Engine, or making shingles. These were the things that made
the reunions different, educational and preserved some of our
historical past. Long are the memories when The Miami Valley Steam
Threshers used to congregate on the Elmer Egbert farm near Botkins,
Ohio. Later it became The Buckeye Steam Threshers with Elmer, the
host, at the head of the long table spread in honor of his birthday
each year. There was always sorghum making, fall cider, some steam
engine plowing, sawmilling and threshing throughout the afternoon,
to entertain the friends and engineers who’d come from far and
wide, to honor Elmer Egbert, an Iron-Man of the Month.
Roselle Raisch will no longer be running throttle on his Case
Engine, doing a jag of wheat threshing, or climbing the big hill at
Wauseon, Ohio, N.T.A. It was our intention to make him an Iron-Man
of the Month, but we just didn’t get to him in time, so we make
him one, in memoriam. Long time one of the prominent steam
engineers at the midwest reunions, Roselle wasn’t seen about
this past year so we couldn’t get more facts. But he is
remembered and missed.
Leonard Lambert of near Richmond, Ind., will no longer be seen
at the throttle of his Baker Engine. A well-known figure around the
midwestern reunions, Wauseon N.T.A., The Darke County Threshers,
Greenville, Ohio, The Buckeye Threshers near Botkins, Ohio, and the
Old-Time Threshers and Saw-millers at Ft. Wayne, Ind., Lambert was
always there. Though we had hoped to get to him in the future, we
didn’t make it, so we honor him posthumously as Iron-Man in
memoriam.
Then there is Mr. Logan of Mansfield, Ohio, on whose farm The
Richland County Steam Threshers held their reunions. How well we
remember him that time we attended. Although I did write him up in
the minutes of that meeting, we now posthumously honor him,
Iron-Man in memoriam.
John L. Kramvik, 71, of Coopers-town, North Dakota, passed away
July 12, 1970, after an illness of 3 days. Sent in by his widow,
Mrs. Lydia Kramvik.
Funeral services were held for Mac H. McDonald, 83, on Monday,
July 6, at Welander-Quist Mortuary in Minneapolis.
Mr. McDonald, one of the founders of the Tonka Corporation moved
here about 1963 and built a home on property he purchased south of
Jordan, Minn. A master electrician and good machinist, he also
built himself a complete machine shop on his property.
An outdoors man and nature lover, he planted some 10,000
coniferous trees on his property. Using 150 yards of rock, he built
a dam on a small creek that runs through his place and formed a
small lake which he stocked with fish. He built and erected many
bird feeders on his place which he kept well filled with bird feed
the year round. He built a grinder to grind corn for part of the
bird feed. In the winter time he kept a hugh supply of nuts for the
squirrels.
Mr. McDonald suffered a stroke last May and died Wednesday
evening in a nursing home at Hopkins. He was the last survivor of
the McDonald family who were original explorers and guides of Wind
Caves National Park in South Dakota. He was a member of King Hiram
Masonic Lodge of Jordan and an active member of the Scott-Carver
Old Time Threshers Assoc.
Survivors include his widow, Dora, 4 daughters, one son, 18
grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Sent in by Pres.,
Milton Tiegs, Henderson, Minnesota.
Charles W. Bower, 83 years, of Hughesville, Penna., passed away
May 13, 1970. He was a member of Rough & Tumble Historical
Assoc., Kinzer. Sent in by his widow, Mrs. Charles W. Bower.
George Weeks, 74, Hoxie, Kansas, passed away May 31, 1970, of a
stroke, after 3 weeks illness. He and his son, Kenneth Weeks, built
a steam engine in 1953, which is still in running order and goes to
his son, Kenneth, at Hill City, Kansas.
He has been a subscriber to Iron Man Album for many years. Sent
in by Mrs. Katie Weeks, Box 321, Hoxie, Kansas 67740.
Charles Alfred Ramsey, age 88 years, of Gwynneville, Indiana,
passed away suddenly Sunday, August 16, 1970, at the Rushville
Memorial Hospital.
He was a life member of the Pioneer Engineers Club of Rushville,
Ind. A life long steam engineer and carpenter, he began his
engineering at age 11, in the old Wilcoxon Bros, sawmill, in the
little town of Gwynneville, Ind. where he still resided when death
came.
Over the many years of threshing, he had run engines for many
well known Rush Co. and Shelby Co. Threshermen, one in particular
Harry L. Brown, for whom he ran a 25 hp. Russell engine every year
for 19 years.
At one time he was engineer for the old I & C Power Co. in
Rushville, Ind., generating electric power for the Inter-urban Line
which served the city.
He will be missed by his three sons, two daughters, 14
grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.
Active in Club Activities, he had attended all three days of the
show of the Pioneer Engineers Reunion, and had been given the award
trophy for the oldest visitor and member on Sunday, August 9, 1970.
Submitted by his son, Robert S. Ramsey, New Palestine, Indiana.
