St. Casimir Catholic Cemetery

Lot Number: Lot 2, Block 2, Section E, 

Monument Installed on West End of Lot

 

Son Of Walter & Maureen 

 

Three Youngsters Die In Newton Trailer Fire Parents in Barn at Time of Blaze Walger Dehne, Jr., 25, Father, Injured Tyring to Rescue Trio From Flames Newton - A house trailer fire claimed the lives of three young children Saturday as their parents were doing chores in a barn at the southwestern edge of this Manitowoc County community. The victims were William John Dehne, 3, and his sisters, Darla Jean, 2, and Susan Marie, 1. Walter Dehne, Jr., 25, the father, and his 21 year old expectant wife were taken to Holy Family Hospital at Manitowoc for treatment. Mrs. Dehne was suffering from shock and Dehne had cuts on the face and arms suffered when he broke glass as he tried to enter the burning trailer. Dehne said he and his wife were at work in the barn about 9 a.m. when they saw smoke coming from the 8 by 32 foot trailer which was connected to a 16 by 20 foot addition. Chief Arne Stock of the Newton Volunteer Fire Dept., which was called to the scene, said the blaze spread so quickly that it may have been triggered by an explosion. The trailer and addition were equipped with both bottled gas and oil heat. Firemen found the badly burned bodies of the children in a collapsed bunk bed in the southwest corner of the trailer about 9:50 a.m. Door Locked Jerry Wetenkamp, one of the first firemen to arrive at the scene, said that there was heavy smoke pouring from the structure. The door was locked and he broke some glass windows in an effort to enter the trailer—but was driven back by intense heat and smoke. Mrs. Walter Dehne Sr., a widow who lived in the farm house about 25 feet east of the trailer, had planned to switch residences with the young family this summer. The young Dehnes had lived in the trailer for 3-1/2 years and built the addition about two years ago. The widow was resting in bed when the fire was discovered. Dr. Theodore Teitgen, county coroner, conducted an investigation at the scene along with Sheriff Reuben A. Huntington and Undersheriff Clarence Meihsner. County traffic police rushed Mr. and Mrs. Dehne to the hospital in a squad car and provided traffic control at the fire location. Funeral Services. William was the eldest of the three children, having been born June 7, 1960. Darla was born May 8, 1961, and Susan on May 12, 1962. Surviving besides the parents are the paternal grandmother, Ida Dehne of Newton; and maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. John O’Connell of Green Bay. A Mass of the Angels will be sung at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Casimir Catholic Church, Northeim, the Rev. Robert Berg officiating. Burial will be in the adjoining cemetery. Caskets of the children wil be closed. Friends may call at the Urbanek and Schlei Funeral Home, Manitowoc after 6 p.m. Monday to 9:15 a.m. Tuesday.

Manitowoc Herald Times, March 7, 1964 P. 1 *********

There is an account of the funeral in this issue of the newspaper: Sheboygan Press, March 10, 1964 P. 2