Rolland (his name was Ronald) Gehrk Dies Of Injuries In Tractor Upset

Rolland (Ronald) Gehrk, 17-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. Gehrk, of Kennard, died Saturday in the Dodge County Hospital in Fremont of injuries received when a tractor, which he was driving, slid into a ditch and overturned on him.

Young Gehrk was pinned under the tractor and a wrecker from Arlington was called to lift the tractor.

The Heller Wrecker from Arlington was in a collision with a sports car being driven by a missile base worker. This accident happened on a corner near the Arlington Cemetery. Both the wrecker and the car were badly damaged. The wrecker could not continue on to the scene of the Gehrk accident. Neither the driver of the wrecker nor the driver of the sports car were seriously injured.

The Reckmeyer ambulance was called also but became stuck in the muddy road and could not get to the accident scene.

Dr. Dean Bloch did make it to the accident and helped as with shovels, crowbars and jacks, passersby and neighbors literally dug a hole under the tractor to get the Gehrk youth free.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday afternoon at 2 o’clock at the Kennard Lutheran Church with interment in Kennard Cemetery.

He was born Feb. 2, 1943, in Blair and graduated from Kennard High School with the class of 1960. Besides his parents, he is survived by a sister, Sandra; grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Soren Wolsmann and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Gehrk; and great-grandfather, John Wolsmann, all of Blair.

The Bendorf Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

#2 Funeral Leaflet

In Memory of Roland Charles Gehrk

February 2, 1943 Blair, Nebraska; July 30, 1960 Fremont, Nebraska

Services at Lutheran Church, Kennard, Nebr. Tuesday, August 2, 1960—2:00 P.M. Officiating: Reverent Harold Laursen. Music By Mr. Allen Byers, Soloist. Mrs. Merritt Klotz, Pianist. “Nearer My God To Thee”, “Ivory Palaces”

Pallbearers: Darrell Ericksen, Steven Lushen, Boyd Lambert, Rollie Kahnk, Lynn Larsen, Gary Baker

Concluding Service: Kennard Cemetery

~~~ Obituary and Funeral leaflet courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings and leaflets on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska. ~~~

FindaGrave #14657561