Schmidt, Melvin (1941-1944)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1944 Jul 6 p. 3

Birth date: 1941

text of obituary:

TWO AND ONE-HALF YEAR-OLD LAD STRANGLED WHILE PLAYING IN GRAIN BIN

Montezuma, Kansas, June 21. — Mr. and Mrs. Pete D. Schmidt and family of Copeland are in deep sorrow now because of the tragedy that occurred last Saturday evening when their little twin-son, Malivin [sic Melvin], was found dead in the barn, where he had gone about 15 minutes before to play in the grain bin (as often before). The boy being out of sight, the father sent their seven year old son to look for him and he found him strangled between two boards in the slides of the granary door. The grief stricken parents and others did what they could to revive him but to no avail. It seems he lifted one of the two boards in the slides and intended to crawl out between them and was caught between the two boards. His short life of two and a half years is ended, leaving his parents, two brothers and a sister in deep sorrow. Funeral services were held here yesterday afternoon.