Siegriest (1947-1951)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1951 Apr 5 p. 1

Birth date: 1947

text of obituary:

RR Crossing Accident Claims Four Lives

SERVICES HELD FOR PARENTS AND SMALL SON, 21 YR. OLD FARM HAND

East Petersburg, Pa. — Four residents of this community, including three members of one family, lost their lives on Wednesday evening, March 21, in the collision of their passenger car and a freight train on a snow-swept section of the Willow Street Pike a few miles south of Lancaster City.

The dead are Mark Siegriest, 26, his wife Margie Ann, 25, and their four year old son, all of Manheim, Route 1; and Glen Pieffer, 21, employed as a farm hand by the Siegriest family.

For three hours Friday evening, between 2,000 and 2,500 people filed slowly through the Beck funeral home to view the bodies of the father, mother and son. Funeral services at the East Petersburg Mennonite church on Saturday afternoon were widely attended. Services for Glen Pieffer were held at the same church on Easter Sunday afternoon.

The Siegriest’s two year old son, Carl, suffered double fractures of both arms in the tragic accident.

Returning from Visit

The family had spent an evening visiting a sister of Mrs. Siegriest, Mrs. Robert Lefever and family, and were en route home at the time of the accident. There are no signal lights at the single track crossing. The engineer saw the auto headlights piercing the blinding snow, but it was too late to avoid the collision. The train only makes three trips weekly and had been delayed two hours due to a broken rail.

Mrs. Siegriest was instantly killed, and the father and son died on the way to the hospital. Mr. Pieffer passed away the following day.

Mr. Siegriest was the son of Clarence and Mattie Siegriest of East Petersburg and also leaves two brothers, Burnell and Clarence Junior, both of Neffsville, and a sister, Rochelle, at home. Mrs. Siegriest was the daughter of Harry and Mary Landis, and also leaves the following brothers and sisters: Mrs. Lefever, Mrs. Abram Siegriest of Manheim, and Omar and Joyce of Lititz.

Glen Pieffer was the son of Mrs. Fannie Pieffer, and leaves two brothers and two sisters. His father, the late Christian Pieffer was killed 13 years ago while shredding fodder.