Goertzen, Elmer (1919-1941)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1941 Feb 5 p. 1

Birth date: 1919

text of obituary:

Tuesday Night Tragedy Takes Lives of Two Youths from Hillsboro

ELMER GOERTZEN AND LE ROY NUSS DIED AS RESULT OF CRASH WITH STANDING TRUCK

The community was shocked this morning by the report of a tragic automobile crash which happened near Walton last night in which Elmer Goertzen, 22, of Henderson, Nebr., and LeRoy R. Nuss, 23, of Hillsboro, were fatally injured.

Goertzen died instantly on the scene of the crash, while Nuss passed away at about noon in the Axtell Hospital here. Goertzen was the son of Mr. and Mrs. D. D. Goertzen of Henderson and was a student at Tabor College. The young men were driving a 1936 model Chevrolet.

Herbert Kaufman of the Morris Mortuary was among the first to be called to the scene of the accident, which happened shortly after one o'clock. The car driven by Goertzen, crashed into the rear of the truck and was badly damaged. Both young men suffered fractures of the skull.

Nuss was the son of Mrs. Mary Kaufman at Hillsboro.

The truck, loaded with 300 bushels of wheat, had run out of gas and was parked on the slab. Russell Crain, of Newton, the driver, and Jim Farquer, who was riding with him, said they had placed flares on the highway to warn motorists. When Sheriff Harry W. Goodman and other officers arrived they said they saw two flares on the pavement in front of the truck and three in the rear. One of the flares was beneath the car driven by Goertzen.

This great tragedy has cast a shadow of sorrow over both this and the Hillsboro community, and many have expressed their deep sympathy for the bereaved parents.