Sickafus, Joseph (1943-1966)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1966 Sep 15 p. 3

Birth date: 1943

text of obituary:

Two 1-W Men Among Five Persons Killed in Crash near Berne

Berne, Ind. — Five persons, including two Amish young men in 1-W service at Irene Byron hospital near Fort Wayne, were killed in a head-on Labor Day collision on US-27 near here. it was believed the worst highway crash in Adams County history.

An estimated 800 to 1,000 persons attended double funeral services Sept. 8 at the Menno D. Schwartz farm home southeast of here for the Schwartz's son Jacob N., 21, and Joni J. Lambright, 22. Services were conducted simultaneously in the house and barn.

Also killed in the tragic crash were Joseph Sickafus, 23, of rural Uniondale, Ind., driver of the car in which the Amish young men were passengers, and Mr. and Mrs. Wm Dytmire of Hartford City, Ind., occupants of the other car. The Sickafus car, traveling at a high rate of speed, struck a bridge abutment and then careened into the Dytmire car coming south on the Wabash River bridge.

Sickafus had struck up an acquaintance with the two Amish youths that morning in a Fort Wayne bus station, where they were waiting on a bus to bring them to this area. They accepted his offer to bring them here. After visiting family members near Berne, the two young men again accepted Sickafus' offer of a ride, and the crash followed.

The Lambright youth had been living here, but his step-father, mother and 13 brothers and sisters reside at Blair, Wis.