Zehr, Ronald David (1951-1967)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1967 Oct 12 p. 3

Birth date: 1951

text of obituary:

Ontario Community Mourns Death of Six In Car-Train Crash

Tavistock, Ontario. — This community is in mourning following a car-train crash which claimed the lives of a Tavistock mother and five high school youth, all students at Waterloo-Oxford High School.

Dead are Mrs. Carl Seltzer, her son Karl Seltzer, Robert Schlitt, Robert Sparling and Terrance Schwartzentruber, all of Tavistock, and Ronald Zehr of rural Shakespeare.

Mrs. Seltzer was bringing the boys home from football practice when the late model station wagon was struck by a CNR passenger train just east of Shakespeare. The train was traveling about 70 miles per hour and the station wagon was carried nearly a mile down the track.

Rev. Newton Gingerich, minister of the East Zorra Mennonite Church, to which two of the boys belonged, said, "Everyone is sort of bewildered . . . . I don't think there is a home in town that hasn't been touched by what happened."

Memorial services for Ronald David Zehr, 16, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Zehr, were held at 1 p.m. Oct. 7 at the East Zorra church. the services for Terrance Wayne Schwartzetruber, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Schwartzentruber, were held at the same church at 3 p.m. Rev. Gingerich officiated at both services.