J.
Tragedy Strikes Genoa Home
Second Time Within A Year
The Grim Reaper of Death knows no bounds.
He may strike in widely separated places.
He may center his activities in one spot, such as
occurred at Genoa Tuesday morning when the lives
of five children were snuffed out in one of the
worst traffic aceMekt$ in recent Ottawa county
history. --^— _,^ r^ —•~—
i
Genoans, shocked by the mul¬
tiple death Tuesday were vividly
recalling another tragedy just a
] year ago—-a tragedy in which
the lives of two children of Mr.
and Mrs. John Dunn were claimed
in the disastrous New Year's Day
inferno, when their eight-room
home was destroyed.
The recollections were brought
aharply into focus by the death
Tuesday morning of 10-year-old
Danny Dunn, one of these killed
in the auto-truck crash near For- I
est Park.
Danny was the only surviving
member of the three Dunn children
in that 1946 New Year's Day fire. I
Today he has joined his two broth¬
ers in death, Jerry 17 and Teddy, 7.
It was on January 1, 1946 that
young Danny arose early while
has parents and two brothers re¬
mained in bed. Going into the
living room of their eight-room
home, Danny plugged in the
Christmas tree light cord and then
proceeded to play with his new
toys.
Around nine o'clock he smelled
smoke, but continued to play. The
smoke became heavier and he
called upstairs to his parents. By
that time the house was full of
smoke.
The parents in turn notified Jer¬
ry and Teddy and hurried down thA
wooden stairway, believing that
the two boys were following them.
Danny in the meantime had es¬
caped out of doors.
iBy the time firemen were noti¬
fied the fire had gained so much
headway that the entire structure
was ablaze. Investigation revealed
however that Jerry and Teddy
were missing. A search failed
to find them.
Meanwhile a six-hour battle to
save the home was made by Genoa
firemen, but their efforts were in
vain. Two firemen Warren Hessel-
bart and Les Hammond were over¬
come by smoke. Hammond was
an uncle of the two dead boys.
That Jerry and Teddy heard
the alarm from their father was
apparent in an investigation later.
Bodies of the two were found
in the debris of the stairway. They
had gone about halfway down
when fire and smoke overcome
them. Jerry was wrapped in a
blanket and is believd to have suf¬
focated to death. The body of
Teddy was badly charred.
The entire structure and all its
contents were destroyed in the
fire which was estimated to have
caused damage of about $7,000.
Now little Danny, the last of
their three children is gone—•
claimed in another tragic mishap.
Is it any wonder then that
Genoans today are sorrowful? Is
it any wonder too that they walk
about and discuss this latest trag¬
edy with wistful expressions?
Certainly, they'll tell you, the
Grim Reaper of death knows no
bounds.
... *t«' —•- - . .-.-r .
IN MEMORIAM
In Memory of our loved one,
Arnold C^Dunn. who was killed on
Bologna, Italy, April 20th, 1945.,
Remains now resting in Williston >
Cemetery, *f~-J^JZ-^f . \
They say time heals all sorrow,
And helps us to forget.
But time so far has only proved
How much we miss him yet.
God gives us strength to fight it I
And courage to heal the blow.
But what it means to lose a son
like him,
No one will ever know.
Sadly missed by Mr. and Mrs.
Wallace Dunn, Mr. and Mrs. Paul
Sutter.
i
Genoa Family Hitgy
By Fourth Mishap/ fYW
Fourth recent tragedy in the
John G. Dunn family of Genoa,
came when the. former Toledo
Waite football coach died of a
heart ailment Thursday after suf¬
fering several years from the ill-
less. Mr. Dunn, 43, was the father
of three children that met tragic
deaths since January, 1946.
Preceding him in death were
ions Jerry, 17, and Teddy, 7, who
ourned to death in their home on
\Tew Year's day, 1946, and Daniel,
}, who was killed1 in an automobile
truck crash on February 25, 1947.
Three other area children were
killed in the latter mishap.
Surviving are the widow, Mrs.
/[yrple Dunn, a son, John; his
mother, Mrs. George Dunn, broth¬
ers, Harold and Earl; five sisters,
VTae Dunn, Mrs. Sue Gary, Mrs.
Evelyn Hamman, Mrs. Georgia
Fersinger, all of Genoa; and Mrs.
Flossie Knoyyles, Battle Creek,
"vliehigan.
Funeral services were Sunday
it 2 p. m. at the Burman Funeral
home, Genoa. The Rev. Paul Da-
rid conducted services.
