Louis William Spenler ⁸⁹⁹⁷

   Cause of his death was due to injuries sustained in a car accident.

Washington Journal
Washington, Iowa
Thursday, July 27, 1944
[Article and obituary courtesy of Paul E. Mack (Georgetown, Texas)<http://pages.suddenlink.net/mack/index.htm>]

DIE IN AUTO CRASH
Louis Spenler Killed and Darlene Lukavsky Dies of Injuries; Two Badly Hurt
Bernard Swift and Arylus Larson in Hospitals After Auto-Bus Collision

Des Moines, July 24--(UP)-Two Washington, Iowa young persons were killed and two others injured seriously early today in an automobile-bus collision near Ankeny.

William Louis Spenler, 17, was killed outright when the car he was driving crashed head-on into a Jefferson line bus. Anna Darlene Lukavsky, 18, a passenger in the car, died later in a Des Moines hospital.

Condition Serious

Still unconscious the morning Arylus Larson was in a Des Moines hospital and her condition was described as "not very good."

Pvt. Bernard E. Swift, 23, stationed at the Sioux Falls, South Dakota air base also was in serious condition at the Fort Des Moines hospital. He was given a blood transfusion.

Bus Passengers Unhurt

Roger Hoagland, Des Moines, driver of the bus and his 29 passengers, all escaped without injury.

A front tire on the bus was blown and the fender was damaged, necessitating the sending out of another bus to remove the passengers.

Expect Swift to Recover

Physicians at the Ft. Des Moines hospital said Swift appeared to be suffering mostly from shock and apparently will recover.

Miss Larson is believed to have a skull fracture and was under the care of special nurses. Her physician said at 1:00 p. m. that she had not regained consciousness and that her condition was "very serious."

Parked Car Involved

The accident occurred on highway 69, seven miles north of Ankeny when Hoagland and Spenler attempted to avoid an automobile which had been parked on the highway because of engine trouble.

The bus and the car met almost parallel with the parked vehicle.

Highway patrolman Leonard Sinis said the parked car was owned by Robert Jones, Des Moines. Jones and his passengers were not injured, nor was his car struck.

The automobile containing the Washington people was nearly demolished by the impact.

First word of the accident came to Washington about three o'clock this morning when Sheriff Putnam was called by a Polk county deputy sheriff who wanted help to identify the dead and injured.

Later the L. A. Jones funeral home received a call from Des Moines, and this afternoon Willis Jones went to Des Moines to get the bodies of Mr. Spenler and Miss Lukavsky.

Left Here in Evening

The party of four young people left Washington Sunday evening in the Swift automobile to take Private Swift back to his station, where he was to report today after a furlough, the plan being for Spenler to drive the car home.

Full details of the collision had not been learned, since the two survivors were in no condition to tell about what happened.

Local Young People

Miss Larson, who was graduated from Washington high school last May, has been employed in the office at the American Pearl Button factory. The Adolph Larson family formerly lived on a farm near Washington, but now live in the Olds community.

Private Swift is a son of Bryan Swift, living five miles southeast of Washington.

*****
William Louis Spenler

William Louis Spenler was born June 6, 1927, at Washington, a son of Chris William Spenler and Etteine Swift Spenler, and was reared in the Red Brick community south of Washington and in Washington, attending the schools here. The family had lived in town for 16 years.

He was a member of the Christian church. Recently he had been employed in construction work at the site of the soybean processing plant.

His father died May 17, 1939 [sic], and he is survived by his mother, Mrs. Etteine Spenler of 316 East Van Buren street, and these half-brothers and sisters: Mrs. Ralph McCreedy of Washington, Claire Keating of the United States army in Italy, Charles Spenler of the United States navy, Mrs. Frank Magdefrau of Yarmouth, Iowa, Mrs. Clarence Heaseltine of New York, Mrs. Leonard Strohm of Haskins, Mrs. Al Rodeker of Pleasant Plain.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday afternoon at four o'clock at the L. A. Jones funeral home, in charge of Rev. Vernon Carter, former pastor here, now of Marion, Iowa.

  Events

• He appeared on the census in 1930 at 320 East Van Buren Street in Washington, Washington County, Iowa. He lived in the household of his mother, who was divorced.

• He appeared on the census in 1940 at 320 East Van Buren Street in Washington, Washington County, Iowa. He lived in the household of his "widowed" mother.