Gingerich, Melvin Lee (1948-1966)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1966 Jul 14 p. 3

Birth date: 1948

text of obituary:

text of obituary:

Two Amish Youths Killed in July 4 Crash near Goshen

Goshen, Ind. — Funeral services were conducted July 8 in Amish homes in the rural Goshen and Shipshewana communities for two young men who died instantly in a head-on collision near here early Monday morning, July 4.

Forenoon services were held at the Roman Hostetler home near Shipshewana for Melvin Lee Gingerich 18, son of Ura S. and Lucy Gingerich. In the afternoon services were held at the home of Harold and Ida Riegsecker, rural Goshen, for their son, Leon E., 18.

The car driven by young Gingerich was approaching Goshen from the north on Highway 15 when, for an unknown reason, it crossed the center line and collided with one driven by David J. Shelton, 20, of Goshen.

Shelton also was killed instantly. His brother-in-law, 16-year-old Richard Metzler, survived the crash, as did Ernest Miller, 17, of Middlebury, who was asleep in the back seat of the Gingerich car. Both were hospitalized with injuries.

The Riegsecker youth had been in 1-W service at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Lafayette, since May 2.

The three deaths raised Elkhart County's 1966 highway death toll to 22.