----- Original Message ----- From: Allen R. Wissinger To: Bob Wissinger Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2008 10:21 AM Subject: Obits - Walter Gardner Wissinger and his two wives OBITUARY WALTER GARDNER WISSINGER * Altoona Mirror, Saturday, 20 February 1954 W. G. WISSINGER Head of Drilling Firm, Succumbs Walter G. Wissinger of 3522 Fifth avenue, senior member of the firm of Wissinger Bros., well-drilling contractors, died at 6:45 o’clock, this morning at his home after a brief illness. He was born in Altoona Aug. 1, 1878 a son of Joseph and Julia (Gardner) Wissinger, and married Miss Bertha Mae Reed in New York city (sic- should be Altoona, PA) Oct 20, 1901. He was of the Lutheran faith. Mr. Wissinger had been engaged in drilling wells throughout the city since 1898 and only recently had retired and turned the business over to several of his sons. Surviving are his wife, the following children: Walter J., now in Turkey as a water consultant to the Turkish government; Herbert A. Marlyn E. and Donald (sic - should be Donn) E. of Altoona; Marjorie of Danbury, Conn., Mrs. Audrey Burchfield of Altoona, Mrs. Helen Luckner of San Diego, Calif.., and Mrs. Shirley Al Ulrich of Chaumont, France; one brother, Clarence A. of Altoona; three sisters, Mrs. Nettie Morris, Mrs. Cora Weber and Mrs. Alice Lotz of Altoona, and 16 grandchildren. Friends will be received at the N. A. Stevens mortuary after 3 o’clock tomorrow afternoon. NOTE: Burial was at Rose Hill Cemetery, Altoona, Blair County, PA, (Plot N-6)(cr#10908-ns) next to his mother Julia J. Wissinger and brother Charles B. Wissinger. ******************************************************************************************************************************************************** Walter's 2d Wife OBITUARY BERTHA MAE WISSINGER * (nee REED) Altoona Mirror, Friday, 5 April 1974 Former City Resident Dies in California Mrs. Bertha M. Wissinger, 91, of 4828 Pescadero Ave., San Diego, Calif., formerly of 3522 5th Ave., died Wednesday, April 3, 1974 in Doctors Hospital, San Diego. Mrs. Wissinger was born Feb. 25, 1883, in Altoona, a daughter of Allan and Anne (Weavers) Reed, and was married to Walter G. Wissinger on Oct. 10, 1901, in St Paul Lutheran Church by the Rev. Allan Metzler. Mr. Wissinger died Feb 20, 1954. Surviving are eight children, Mrs. Helen Luckner, with whom she resided; Walter J., Donn E. and Mrs. Shirley Ulrich of San Diego, Marjorie Villane of Danbury, Conn., Marlyn E. of Nogales, Ariz., and Mrs. Audrey Burchfield and Herbert A. of Altoona; 31 grandchildren and 44 great-grandchildren. Mrs. Wissinger, known as Grammy, was a member of the First Lutheran Church, Altoona. NOTE: She was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, San Diego, San Diego Cnty, CA, Lilly Lake Lawn, Lot 755-4 ********************************************************************************************************************************************************* Walter's 1st Wife OBIT: Gertrude A. (TROUT) WISSINGER, 1899, Altoona, Blair County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by JRB Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pa/blair/ _______________________________________________ Altoona Morning Tribune, Tuesday, June 27, 1899 DIED SUDDENLY. Mrs. Gertrude E. Wissinger Was Quickly Summoned. HER DEATH DUE TO POISONING. Evidently Took an Overdose of Strychnia Which Was Very Rapid in Its Effect and Which Proved Fata. FUNERAL WILL OCCUR TOMORROW Yesterday about 9.15 o'clock a.m. Mrs. Gertrude A. Wissinger, wife of Walter G. Wissinger, of 3013 Walnut avenue, died of poisoning from sulphate of strychnine, which she had been taking as medicine and of which she unintentionally took an overdose. The unfortunate woman became the wife of Mr. Wissinger December 21, 1898, and was only a little over 18 years of age. The bereaved husband says that they had always lived happily together and that there is no reason to suppose that his wife intended to commit suicide, for she had nothing in the world to cause her trouble. Dr. G. A. Ickes, of Broad avenue, was called upon to attend Mrs. Wissinger on June 8. He found her suffering from an attack of hysteria. At that time, on account of nervous irritation, he prescribed sulphate of strychnine as a nerve tonic. He gave the woman directions to take a one-twentieth of a grain pill in the morning, one at noon and one at night. He heard nothing more about the case until yesterday morning, when he was called for. On arriving at the house at 9.30 o'clock he found the woman dead. All her symptoms indicated strychnine poisoning. Mr. Wissinger, who works at night, returned home about 6.30 a.m. and found his wife still in bed. He says she got up about 8 o'clock in a cheerful mood and came down immediately to breakfast. About fifteen minutes afterwards she took cramps similar to the kind she had three weeks ago, and hoping to get relief by taking the medicine that had been her relief on former occasions, she took one or two of the pills and a powder. Her husband says he does not believe she took more than one of the pills, so that would not have been sufficient to produce death. She had several of the pellets in her hand at the time. These were taken away by her husband. In fifteen minutes convulsions set in with the quivering of muscles and spasms indicative of strychnine poisoning. The suffering woman begged the husband to hold her up off the floor or she would die. He complied, and held her in his arms until she became unconscious. She was carried upstairs, and when laid on her bed life was extinct. Coroner McCartney, accompanied by Dr. Olin K. McGarrah, viewed the remains yesterday afternoon. Dr. McGarrah says the woman had all the symptoms of poisoning by strychnine, but that one of the little pills would not be enough to produce the effect caused by the dose she took. If she took three of the pills regularly for eighteen days she had become so accustomed to the medicine that it certainly must have required more than one or two of the one-twentieth of a grain pellets to cause death. Mrs. Ellis Brubaker, a neighbor of the Wissingers says that the dead woman said on one occasion when conversing with her that if she ever attempted to commit suicide she would make sure of it. Mrs. Wissinger was a daughter of ?? H. Trout, an engineer on the middle division of the Pennsylvania railroad now a resident of Tyrone. She was born April 18, 1881, in this city. The funeral will take place to-morrow afternoon at 2 o'clock. Services will be conducted at the house. The remains will be interred in Oak Ridge cemetery. Morning Tribune, Wednesday, June 28, 1899 LOCAL BREVITIES. The funeral of Mrs. Gertrude A. Wissinger will take place this afternoon. The services will be held in the Brethren church on Maple avenue and thirteenth street at 2 o'clock. They will be conducted by Rev. W. W. Rymer, of Tyrone. Interment in Oak Ridge cemetery.