Lester Meyer/Death
From CowTales
Storm Victim
Lester F. Meyer
Funeral services for Lester F. Meyers, 36, victim of Saturday’s tornado, were held Wednesday afternoon, March 25, 1953. Services were held from the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Meyer in Gibbon, at 11 a.m. following which the body was taken to St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Moltke Township, where rites were held at 1:00 p.m. with Rev. H. Kasting officiating. Burial was in the Immanuel Lutheran Church cemetery at Gibbon.
Lester F. Meyer, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Meyer, was born in Moltke Township April 14, 19??, and was 35 years, 11 months and three days of age on the day of his death. He had lived on the farm in Moltke his entire life.
He was married to Erna Bruns May 18, 1941. She and four children, Diane,10, Ronald, 8, Duane, 4, and Wallace, 3 months, survive.
He is also survived by a brother, Harvey, Moltke Township, and a sister Florence (Mr. Gordon Kiehn) of Red Wing, his parents, and his parents-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Theo Bruns of Moltke
Farms Leveled In Saturday’s Tornado
One man was killed, one farm completely demolished, about fifty barns were wrecked and countless other buildings damaged in the tornado that struck this area at 3:25 Saturday afternoon.
Spring was less than 24 hours old when the twisters struck leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage, one death and several injuries, covering an area of several square miles before finally lifting and going on to other areas where it again dropped own and caused more damage and killed one more person at St. Cloud.
Victims of the storm were Lester Meyer, 36, farmer living about 6 miles northwest of Gibbon and Roger Linderoth, 16, of St. Cloud. Mr. Meyer was killed when the barn was demolished and Lindroth was killed when he was pinned against a washing machine in a self-service laundry where he was employed.
Lester Meyer and his son, Ronald, aged 8, were in the barn when the storm struck. They attempted to get to the house but were caught when the barn toppled over as they were leaving the north door. Lester was killed instantly when he was pinned under two sections of wall and a large beam that fell across his chest. Ronald escaped injury and was able to crawl out of the wreckage and run to the house.
Damage
- Lester Meyer farm - silo and barn wrecked. Mr. Meyer killed when pinned under barn.
- Victor Hahn - barn wrecked and house damaged.
- The storm east of Gibbon started somewhere to the southeast and covered an area as high as a mile wide, traveling on past Fernando. Some damage was reported near Browton. Next place it hit was near Norwood.
- On the Berlin farm - the machine shed, garage and windmill were damaged.
Picture Caption
Standing on the spot where Lester Meyer, 34 year old Moltke Township farmer was killed in the tornado Saturday, these men look over the ruins of the barn. Meyer was trapped under a section of the barn when it toppled.
source:Cory Becker collection.