File:1968 - Jaus - Grewe- Friedriche Car Crash (5).jpg

Caskets at Funeral

THE CASKETS of Mr. and Mrs. William Friedrichs and Mr. and Mrs. Otto Jaus during graveside services Saturday at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Moltke. The two couples, and Mrs. Otto Grewe were killed in a head-on crash Tuesday, January 4. Services for Mrs. Grewe were held that morning at Immanuel Lutheran in Gibbon with interment in St. Peter’s Cemetery. Church services for the two couples were held at 1:30 p.m.

Karla Tate This event was very traumatic. I loved Uncle Otto like one would a close grandparent; he had such a tender and kind disposition and because they lived in the other house on the farm we saw them daily.

Uncle Otto had gone down to the barn because He was concerned about driving to the funeral as the weather was bad. Dad encouraged him not go, but the final decision was they would go. We got a phone call during dinner and as dad got up to answer it he sadly said, "They are all dead." The call confirmed the devastating news. I always thought that my dad never stood as straight after that day.

The funeral home was overwhelming with five caskets and the smell of so many flowers was almost sickening; I kept thinking that no number of flowers could soften the horror of what had happened.

There was a post in the Gibbon History on Facebook about the accident, even reading it and seeing the pictures were hard yet

source:Myrtle Jaus Meyer collection.