1965 Airplane Crash in Folsom, California

I live in Fair Oaks, California, which is roughly about 8 miles from Folsom. Two days ago, it was announced that a small aircraft was found in Folsom Lake using sonar. It is suspected that the plane is from a mid-air collision that happened 56 years ago- January 1, 1965. 

I researched the accident, because...that's what I do. A Piper Comanche 250 collided with another small aircraft and went down into the lake. The other aircraft had damage, but was able to land safely, no passengers injured. The passengers on the Comanche, however, all perished. One passenger's body was recovered but the plane and the other 3 bodies were never recovered...until now? I'm eager to see what details they will find as they investigate! 

The perished: 

There were four people aboard the Piper Comanche-

    1. The pilot- Ford Marshall, age 50

    2. Passenger- James Marshall (brother to the pilot), age 51

    3. passenger- Helen Gotcher, age 50

    4. Glenn Emick, age 15

~Ford Marshall- Pilot

Ford Morton Marshall was born on 21 Oct 1908 in Colorado to Franklin D. Marshall (1885-1965) and Maude Ford (1887-1979). He owned and operated the Town House Motel in Roseville, which was built in 1955. 

Town House Motel
401 Washington Blvd, Roseville
Image is from Google maps

Ford was married 2x- first, to Marjorie Elizabeth Norton on 30 Aug 1932 and then on 25 Oct 1936 to Marguerite Olga Romero (1910-2010). Ford and Marguerite had 1 daughter- Sheryl Dee Marshall, born 04 Dec 1938. 

Ford was 50 years old when he died. 

~James Marshall- Passenger

James Boyd Marshall was the brother of the pilot- Ford. He was born on January 10, 1913 in Colorado. James and Ford were 2 of four sons- the other two were Donald Franklin Marshall (1910-1993) and William Chandler Marshall (1918-2007). 

James was the only body recovered at the time of the accident- the other three bodies have yet to be found. James is buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. 

~Helen Gotcher- Passenger

Helen Gotcher was born Helen Lisbia Bancke. She was born on August 9, 1915 in Alberta, Canada to Ferdinand Bancke (1887-1952) and Augusta Ingrid Johnson (1887-1965). 

Helen married Gordon James Gotcher (1920-1992) in 1944 in Canada and they came to America on December 7, 1948. 

Helen and Gordon had 3 sons:

1. Jack Ralph (born 1946)

2. Gordon George (born 1949)

3. Royce Keith (born 1952)

Helen, her husband Gordon and their three boys-
Royce, Jack and Gordon

 ~Glenn Emick- Passenger

Yearbook Photo
1965

Charles Glenn Emick II was born on January 11, 1949 in Sacramento. He attended Roseville High School and was voted Most Valuable Player on the football team. He was the son of Charles Glenn Emick Sr. (1925-1983) and Phyllis Lorraine Bowman (1929-2003). He was the oldest of 4- Jerry Earl (born 1949), Diane Marie (born 1951) and Rickey Phillip (born 1954). 

The Team Football Picture was very odd in that it cut off some of the members and put them on a different page. Glenn is in the second picture at the top, looks like number 17.

Roseville High School Yearbook, 1965
Glenn was a sophomore and had a memorial page shared with a school councilor named J.C. Cole.

Titanic Passenger Biography: Abbott Family

Passenger(s): The Abbott Family

~Mrs. Stanton Abbott (Rosa Mary Abbott), 39, mother- survived

~Mr. Rossmore Edward Abbott, 16, adult son of Rosa- perished 

~Master Eugene Joseph Abbott, 13, son of Rosa-perished 

Rosa Mary Abbott 

Rosa
(Photo Credit- Findagrave.com)

Birth Name: Rhoda Mary "Rosa" Hunt

born: 14 Jan 1873, Ludgershall, England

died: 18 Feb 1946, London, England, age 73

Rosa married George Stanton Abbott  (1867-1941). They had 2 sons together and separated in 1911. Aboard the Titanic, Rosa was divorced, travelling with her two sons in 3rd class, heading home to Rhode Island from England. Because they had been in 3rd class, they didn't have access to a lifeboat. They waiting until the last minute to jump into the water together as the boat sunk. 

Rosa was pulled into a lifeboat but it was so heavy that she had to stand with water up to her knees. Rosa's two sons- Rossmore (16) & Eugene (13)  clung to the lifeboat, still in the water. They were too weak to climb in and none of the passengers inside the boat had the strength to pull them in. They sadly died clinging to their mother's lifeboat- Eugene first and then Rossmore. Rossmore's body was recovered later (body #190) and buried at sea.

Rossmore Edward Abbott

(Pictured Left)

born: 21 Feb 1896, Providence, Rhode Island

died: 15 Apr 1912, At Sea (16)

(Photo Credit- Geni.com)

Eugene Joseph Abbott

born: 31 Mar 1899, East Providence, Rhode Island

died: 15 Apr 1912, at Sea (13)

Rosa & her two sons
(Photo Credit- Geni.com)

Here's a news article about the boys' deaths from the Norwich Bulletin in Norwich, Connecticut: 24 Apr 1912, Page 1: 

Rosa died  in 1946 at the age of 73. Her remains were cremated at the Mortlake Crematorium in Mortlake, London, England.

Titanic Passenger Biography: Mr. Anthony Abbing

 

Passenger: Mr. Anthony Abbing- did not survive 

Photo from Findagrave.com

born: 11 May 1870, Cincinnati, Ohio

died: 15 Apr 1912, At Sea

age at death- 41

Titanic Info: Mr. Abbing was a 3rd class passenger going home from Southampton. He had been in South Africa for the last 3 years for a contract job; he was a blacksmith. 

Anthony was the son of Gerhard Abbing (1831-1882) & Catherine Eising (1844-1917) and he had 5 siblings: 

1. Mary Anna (1873-1934)

2. Louise B. (1874-1952)

3. Catherine (1876-1957)

4. Anna Elizabeth (1878-1878)

5. John Joseph (1879-1934)

6. Bernard G. (1881-1963)

Anthony had no wife or children. 

He has a cenotaph at Saint Mary Cemetery in Saint Bernard, Ohio:

Gone too Soon, #6- Jerry Max Fenters (1931-1944)

Jerry Max Fenters

born: 05 Jun 1931, Indianapolis, Indiaina

died: 08 Aug 1944, Muncie, Indiana, age 13

cause of death: Intestinal Injuries due to  truck accident (passenger), driver was Danny Fetters (17)

Jerry was the son of Robert Jack Fenters (1908-1978) & Helen Davita Williams (1908-2003). He had 2 siblings- Williaim Robert (b. 1928) & Danita (b. 1938).

Jerry's Birth Certificate 

Jerry's Death Certificate 

Obituary 

 

The driver of the truck- Danny Fetters (age 17) lived.

Jerry is buried in the Pennville IOOF Cemetery in Pennville, Indiana. He shares a bench-like gravestone with his mother and father.

Jerry is my 8th, 3x removed

Killed, Part 5- A Tragic Accident Dayton, Ohio Never Forgot

Date: 04 April 1969

Place: Near New Carlisle, Clark County, Ohio

05 Apr 1969
Dayton Daily News- Dayton, Ohio

My dad is the one who told me about this story. He grew up in Dayton and remembers when this happened- he was a senior in high school and knew some of the kids involved. 

So, four teens from Dayton, Ohio were driving either to or from the lake and at 10 pm, ran off the road and hit a tree. The car was a convertible with no seat belts (1969) and all passengers were ejected from the car and hit trees (the image in my mind is terrifying). Three of the four boys died.

One other thing my dad told me was that his cousin had been asked to go on the trip with these boys but because he didn't have money to chip in for beer, he didn't go! Can you imagine knowing you COULD have been in an accident that killed friends?! How devastating! 

05 Apr 1969
The Journal Herald- Dayton, Ohio

The Victims: 

~Driver- 

Terry A. Wallace 

born: abt 1953

died: 04 April 1969, age 16

Terry was buried in Willowview Cemetery, no picture available

~Passenger-

Paul Stephen Franz

born: 02 Feb 1951, Dayton, Ohio

died: 04 Apr 1969, age 18

Calvary Cemetery- Section 3, Lot 185
Dayton, Ohio

~Passenger- 

Michael Stephan Pietrzak

born: 09 Nov 1951, Ohio

died: 04 Apr 1969, age 17

Calvary Cemetery- Sec 18, Blk X, Lot 196, Space 9
Dayton, Ohio

Passenger- 

Ralph Paul Allen- Only survivor of the accident

born: 01 Nov 1953, Dayton, Ohio

died: 07 Jan 1983, Dayton, Ohio, age 29

Paul was buried in Calvary Cemetery, plot 19x92x4 in Dayton, Ohio

The very sad story with Paul Allen, the only survivor, is that Paul died at the age of 29 by suicide. My dad told me Paul had severe "survivors guilt" and shot himself in the head. 

Truly, a tragic story all-around! 

Tragic Death of Katie Williams-Dunning

Katharine Diane Williams-Dunning "Katie"- my 8th cousin, 2x removed

born: 21 Oct 1992 in Tennessee

died: 13 Jun 2020 in Henry County, Tennessee, age 27

Cause of death: Injuries sustained from car accident 

On June 13, 2020, Katie was driving a Chevy Tahoe, when it began drifting across the median, triggering a rollover sequence. The accident was a single car accident. Katie was pronounced dead at the scene while her husband Tyler was airlifted to the hospital. As of today (16 Jun), he is in stable condition and expected to recover.

Father/daughter pic

Katie was known as the second child of country musicians Hank Williams Jr. & Mary Jane Thomas. She was also the granddaughter of legendary country singer- Hank Williams (1923-1953). She had 4 siblings: Sheldon Hank "Hank III), Samuel, Hilary & Holly Audrey.

Katie was also a wife and mother. In October 2015, she married Tyler Dunning and they have 2 children together: Beau Weston (b. 2015) & Audrey Jane (b. 2018). 

Katie Williams-Dunning is my 8th cousin, 2x removed on my mother's side.

Gone Too Soon, #4- Frank Roy Mendenhall Jr.

Frank Roy "Corky" Mendenhall Jr.

Born: 19 Sep 1945 in Oakland, California

Died: 16 Apr 1961 in Lovelock, Nevada, age 15

Burial: Lone Mountain Cemetery in Lovelock, Nevada

Cause of Death: Brain Injury received during a baseball game April 1.

Frank was the son of Frank Roy Mendenhall Sr. (1910-2000) & Marion Faye Helmers (1916-2011). He had one sister- Susan.

Obituary:
Last Rites Set Thursday for Lovelock Youth
Funeral services will be held for Frank Ray [sic] [Roy] Mendenhall Jr. Thursday [Apr 20, 1961] at 2 p.m. in the Methodist Church in Lovelock. The Belanger Funeral Home will direct the service. Ross-Burke Co. is in charge of local arrangements.
Frank, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank R. Mendenhall of Lovelock, died Sunday in Reno of a brain injury received in a baseball game with Lyon County High School April 1. An outfielder for the Pershing County High School baseball team, he was 15 years old.
In addition [sic] to his parents he is survived by a sister, Susan Mendenhall. Lovelock; his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Dick Holmes, Los Angeles, Calif.; and several aunts and uncles.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be sent to the Memorial Fund for Frank R. Mendenhall Jr., in care of George Myers of Lovelock.
Reno Gazette-Journal (Reno, Nevada) • Tue, Apr 18, 1961 • Page 11

Nevada State Journal
April 18, 1961
Reno, Nevada 

Frank was my 8th cousin, 4x removed.

School Bus Hit By Train, Eads, Tennessee, 1941

On 10 Oct 1941, in Eads, Tennessee, a school bus stopped on the train tracks and was hit by the oncoming train. 7 died at the scene and 1 died later, totally 8 dead.

Picture from newspaper, crushed bus

I want to primarily focus on those who perished and who survived rather than the actual accident. 

Perished: 

~Hayden Austin Williams Jr. "Austin"

born: 15 Sep 1934 in Eads, Tennessee

died: 10 Oct 1941 in Eads, Tennessee, age 7

burial: Magnolia Cemetery in Collierville, Tennessee 

Son of Hayden Austin Williams (1910-1965) & 

           Pauline Leake Earnheart (1909-1987)

~Murrey Kenneth Bryan

born: 08 Dec 1932 in Eads, Tennessee

died: 10 Oct 1941 in Eads, Tennessee, age 8

burial: Reid Cemetery in Eads, Tennessee

Son of Perry Wallace Bryan (1899-1967) & 

          Alva Lee Cooper (1905-1981)

~Siblings Alma & Glenn

Daughter and Son of Joseph Guy Sherrill (1906-1986) & 

                      Dale Vaughn (1907-2000)

Both siblings are buried together in Salem Associate Reformed Presbyterian Cemetery in Salem, TN.

Alma Irene Sherrill

born: 22 Oct 1932 in Tipton County, Tennessee

died: 10 Oct 1941 in Eads, Tennessee, age 8

W. Glenn Sherrill

born: 22 May 1929 in Tipton Co., Tennessee 

died: 13 Oct 1941, Memphis, Tennessee, age 12

Injuries: Glenn survived the accident but was in critical condition. Death certificate states injuries were cerebral contusion, edema with fractured skull, fractured right femur & multiple bruises. He died 3 days later of his injuries.

~Melvin Finis Richmond "Tootsie"

born: 04 Feb 1930 in Eads, Tennessee

died: 10 Oct 1941 in Eads, Tennessee, age 11

burial: Eads Cemetery in Eads, Tennessee

Son of Walter Peyton Richmond (1887-1944) &

          Lilly Irene Snider (1899-1969)

Deadly injuries from the accident- (from findagrave.com)- "Someone layed Tootside in her [his mother] arms and it was there that he took his last breath. The only visable injury was a small scratch above one eye. But his neck had been broken. He died within minutes."

His brother Tommy survived the accident.

~Guy Clifford Anderson Jr.

born: 03 Mar 1929 in Memphis, Tennessee

died: 10 Oct 1941 in Eads, Tennessee, age 12

burial: Magnolia Cemetery in Collierville, Tennessee

Son of Guy Clifford Anderson (1905-1984) &

           Olivia Maude Ellis (1909-1984)

~Norma Jean Seward "Jean"

born: 30 Jun 1929 in Shelby County, Tennessee

died: 10 Oct 1941 in Eads, Tennessee, age 12

burial: Reid Cemetery in Eads, Tennessee

Daughter of Norman E. Seward (1895-1973) & 

                Mary Richardson (1905-1972)

~Bennie Harrell Priddy - the driver of the bus

born: 19 Jul 1886 in Shelby Co., Tennessee

died: 10 Oct 1941 in Eads, Tennessee, age 55

burial: Bethany Cemetery in Eads, Tennessee 

Son of William Henry Priddy (1846-1911) & 

          Mary Harrell (1845-1923)

Husband of Lillian Strong (1884-1976)

Father of 6: George, Nina, Sara, Grace, Bennie Jr., and Charles.

Survivors:

~Kenneth Richardson, age 7

~Nancy Jenkins, age 9

I did find in a newspaper from 26 Oct 1941 that someone visited her in the hospital- 16 days later.

~Peggy Lee Spain, age 9

~Ella Mae Warren, age 13

~Mary Bryant, age 13

~Mary Ann Baxter, age 6 was the youngest and luckiest- walking away with only a few bruises. A newspaper reports her saying: "I was sitting in the front seat across from the driver...I was sitting on the side opposite the train....I saw it, some of the others saw it and we called to Mr. Priddy. He tried to get out of the way, tried to pull over, but he couldn't....The train hit us and I cried and the rest all cried. I climbed out by myself, but Austin didn't. Austin was killed....Austin and me were going to ride a mule today---we was going to ride that mule together."

Austin Williams, 7, was her closest friend. 

~Charles John Markle

age in 1941 during the accident- 8

born: 06 Jul 1933 in Macon, Tennessee

died: 11 Jul 2005 in Gallaway, Tennessee, age 72

Son of Johnnie Elton Markle (1911-1966) & 

           Sula Voyles (1911-1971)

~Christopher Daniel Sammons

age in 1941 during the accident- 13

born: 25 Dec 1927 in Eads, Tennessee

died: 25 Feb 1982 in Tupelo, Mississippi, age 54

Son of Autrey Aubrey Sammons (1887-1969) &

          Isabella Luck (1887-1977)

He had a wife & 3 children.

~Thomas Emmett "Tommy" Richmond (Some newspapers at the time of the accident stated that Tommy had died in the accident)

age in 1941 during the accident- 14

born: 01 Nov 1928 in Eads, Tennessee

died: 09 Jan 1987 in Memphis, Tennessee, age 58

burial: Memphis Memory Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee 

Son of Walter Peyton Richmond (1887-1944) & 

           Lilly Irene Snider (1899-1969)

Injuries from the accident- (from findagrave.com) "Tom was thrown from the bus. His back ripped open and lungs exposed".

Tom was married to Joe Ann Nelson (1930-2006)