Berkey, Elmer Rhodes (1898-1955)

Revision as of 14:37, 26 July 2016

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1955 Nov 3 p. 1

Birth date: 1898

text of obituary:

As the Review goes to press, word is received of fatal accidents at Harrisonburg, Va. And Metamora, Ill., which claimed the lives of seven persons.

A private plane flown by Elmer R. Berkey, 57, of Sheridan, Ore. crashed Saturday afternoon at Harrisonburg, killing Mr. Berkey, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Martin and Sanford Martin, all of Harrisonburg, and Samuel Kauffman of Pennsylvania.

A head-on auto collision near Metamora Sunday night claimed the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Schertz (Mrs. Schertz the former Esther Strubhar.)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1955 Nov 10 p. 3

text of obituary:

Services Held For Plane Crash Victims

Harrisonburg, Va. — Triple funeral services were held at the Eastern Mennonite College chapel Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 2, for P. Sanford Martin, 24, Robert W. Martin, 38, and Mrs. Robert Martin, 35, who were among five persons killed in the crash of a twin-engine plane near here Saturday afternoon, Oct. 29.

Also killed were Elmer R. Berkey, 57, pilot and owner of the plane, of Sheridan, Oregon, and Samuel B. Kauffman, 27 of Park View. Mr. Berkey was a half-brother of Mrs. Robert Martin.

This community was stunned and grief-stricken by the sudden tragedy which removed three prominent young businessmen here and the wife of one of them, all of whom were active in church work. Sanford Martin was president of the Riteway Mfg. Co. here and his brother Robert was vice-president. Mr. Kauffman was vice-president of Superior Concrete, Inc., Harrisonburg.

Mr. and Mrs. Berkey had flown here from Oregon earlier in the week, and Mr. Berkey was taking the group on a short pleasure trip when the crash occurred. The exact cause will probably never be known. Witnesses said one engine of the two-engine craft apparently had stopped, when the low-flying plane suddenly banked and plummeted to the earth.

Bodies of Mr. Berkey and Mr. Kauffman were removed from the burning plane, but those of the Martins were removed after the fire had been extinguished by firemen.

The Martin brothers were sons of Mr. and Mrs. Perry S. Martin of Harrisonburg, who survive with seven brothers and sisters. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Martin leave two children, Robert 11 and Helen 8. P. Sanford Martin is survived by his wife, Shirley Ann, and two children, Perry S., 2, and Bryan Dale, seven months.

Mrs. Mary Shenk Berkey, mother of Mrs. Robert Martin (the former Mabel Berkey) and step-mother of Elmer R. Berkey, resides at Park View. A number of brothers and sisters also survive. Their father was the late Rev. E. J. Berkey.

Mr. Berkey, who operated a sawmill in Oregon, leaves his wife and four children. His body was sent to Sheridan for final services and burial.

After a service at a Harrisonburg funeral home, the body of Samuel Kauffman was sent to McAlisterville, Penn. Where final services were held at the Lauvers Mennonite Church. He is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John L. Kauffman of Park View, and one brother, J. Paul Kauffman of Ann Arbor, Mich.

The services for the Martins were in charge of Harold Eshleman, B. Charles Hostetter and Chester M. Helmick. Robert Martin had served as engineer for The Mennonite Hour broadcast and Sanford was a member of the chorus.

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1955 Nov 24 p. 11

text of obituary:

A SATURDAY afternoon that will long be remembered by many of us in a special way is that of Oct. 29, 1955. Our eleven year old son, Gordon, went over to play with our near neighbor's eleven year old son, Dwayne Martin. There is only a week's difference in their ages and the two boys are quite close pals. Gordon soon came back saying that Dwayne was crying so hard because his papa and mama had been killed in an airplane accident.

My husband and I just couldn't believe it and thought Gordon must have gotten his information mixed up somewhere. We went over to Dwayne's home and found not only had Dwayne's father and mother been accidentally killed, but also his two uncles and a neighbor man who lived down the street a little ways.