| Father | Elias Plimpton Dye (b. 19 January 1860, d. 21 April 1933) |
| Mother | Catherine Elizabeth Wilt (b. 12 August 1852, d. 9 February 1945) |
| Pedigree Link |
| Last Edited | 21 June 2019 00:00:00 |
| Father | Elias Plimpton Dye (b. 19 January 1860, d. 21 April 1933) |
| Mother | Catherine Elizabeth Wilt (b. 12 August 1852, d. 9 February 1945) |
| Pedigree Link |
| Son | Orval Dean Dye+ (b. 25 January 1914, d. 21 May 1983) |
| Son | Carl David Dye+ (b. 17 August 1916, d. 9 October 1990) |
| Son | Floyd C. Dye+ (b. 26 June 1918, d. 1 May 1959) |
| Daughter | Phyllis Arlene Dye+ (b. 6 January 1923, d. 17 January 2004) |
| Son | Clifford Melford Dye (b. 5 October 1924, d. 20 May 1925) |
| Daughter | Marie Ileanna Dye+ (b. 18 November 1927, d. 22 February 1999) |
| Last Edited | 15 February 2021 00:00:00 |
| Father | Elias Plimpton Dye (b. 19 January 1860, d. 21 April 1933) |
| Mother | Catherine Elizabeth Wilt (b. 12 August 1852, d. 9 February 1945) |
| Pedigree Link |
Obituary -- The Gazette; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Sunday, October 20, 1985; Page 22 (Newspapers.com):
Grace M. Bumgardner, 98, a resident of Center Point the past 80 years died Friday afternoon at her home following a lingering illness.
Grace Dye was born Nov. 6, 1886 near Palo, and married John Bumgardner on March 26, 1907, at Marion. He died in 1958. She was an 80-year member of the First Christian Church in Center Point, a charter member of the Legion Auliliary Dye-Benyon Post 297 of Center Point and a member of the Wide Awake Class.
She is survived by nieces and nephews.
Services: 1:30 p.m. Monday, First Christian Church in Center Point, by the Rev. Earl D. Luginbulh. Burial: Center Point Cemetery. Friends may call at Murdoch Funeral Home, Center Point, after 4 p.m. today.
The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Wednesday, 27 Sep 1961; Page 3; (Newspapers.com):
Willie M. Dye, who died Sept. 5, named his wife, Ruth, and 2 sisters, Grace Bumgardner and Blanch Van Fosson, as heirs. Charles Oxley was named executor.
| Last Edited | 20 July 2020 00:00:00 |
| Father | Elias Plimpton Dye (b. 19 January 1860, d. 21 April 1933) |
| Mother | Catherine Elizabeth Wilt (b. 12 August 1852, d. 9 February 1945) |
| Pedigree Link |
Obituary -- The Gazette; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Monday, January 8, 1968; Page 9 (Newspapers.com):
Blanche Van Fossen, Center Point, Dies
CENTER POINT -- Blanche B. Van Fossen, 70, a resident of Center Point for 64 years, died Sunday evening at her home. She was born March 20, 1888, at Ely. In 1929 at Toddville she was married to James Van Fossen, who died in 1946. Mrs. Van Fossen was a member of the First Christian church of Center Point.
Surviving are a daughter, Mrs. William Falkner of Burlington; a son, Clarence Van Fossen of Marion; a sister, Grace Baumgardner of Centerpoint, and two grandchildren.
Services: 2 p.m. Wednesday at the First Christian church of Center Point conducted by the Rev. Richard A. Laslo. Burial: Center Point cemetery. Friends may call at the Murdoch chapel in Center Point after 1 p.m. Tuesday.
NOTE: The children and grandchildren mentioned in this obituary were from her husband's first marriage.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Wednesday, 17 Jan 1968; Page 56; (Newspapers.com):
VAN FOSSEN, BLANCH -- We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the sympathy, cards, and floral arrangements that were so kindly sent to us during our recent bereavement from the loss of one of our family, Blanch Van Fossen of Center Point, Iowa who passed away January 7, 1968.? ? William Faulkner Family, Clarence Van Fossen Family, Grace Baumgardner (sic), Dye Family.
The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Wednesday, 27 Sep 1961; Page 3; (Newspapers.com):
Willie M. Dye, who died Sept. 5, named his wife, Ruth, and 2 sisters, Grace Bumgardner and Blanch Van Fosson, as heirs. Charles Oxley was named executor.
| Last Edited | 20 July 2020 00:00:00 |
| Father | Elias Plimpton Dye (b. 19 January 1860, d. 21 April 1933) |
| Mother | Catherine Elizabeth Wilt (b. 12 August 1852, d. 9 February 1945) |
| Pedigree Link |
Newspaper Articles -- The Gazette; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Thursday, August 15, 1918; Page 10 (Newspapers.com):
CENTER POINT BOY IS TAKEN PRISONER
CLIFFORD DYE HELD BY HUN
Young Man Has Been Reported Missing Since the Big Battle July 18.
The first word concerning Clifford Dye, who had been reported missing since the engagement of July 18, was received Wednesday evening by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. L. Dye of Center Point. A telegram stating that he had been taken prisoner by the Germans July 18, was sent from Washington on receipt of the lists of prisoners.
Clifford Dye was born and reared in Center Point and also has many friends in this city. He is 27 years old, and last September left for Camp Dodge to enter the service. He later was transferred to Camp Pike, and sailed for France April 17. He is in the Ranbow division with the 149th Inf.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE - Omaha World-Herald; Omaha, Nebraska; Thursday, October 3, 1918; Page 9 (GenealogyBank.com):
CLIFFORD DYE KILLED
A supplement to the army casualty list for Thursday afternoon reports:
Private Clifford Dye, Center Point, Ia., previously reported missing, as killed in action.
DEATH NOTICE - The Courier; Waterloo, Iowa; Thursday, October 3, 1918; Page 7 (Newspapers.com):
DEATH OF CLIFFORD DYE ADDS ANOTHER GOLD STAR
Another gold star was added to Black Hawk county's service flag today when announcement was made by the war department of the death of Private Clifford Dye. Private Dye was a resident of this city when he enlisted and his mother now lives at Center Point, Ia. When news of his injury came to this city several weeks ago the Red Cross was asked to locate the mother, whose address was given as Waterloo. Thru the press it was learned she had moved to Center Point.
| Last Edited | 20 July 2020 00:00:00 |
| Father | John Dawson Bumgardner (b. 31 May 1836, d. 19 December 1919) |
| Mother | Mary Elizabeth Shaffar (b. 6 February 1856, d. 27 January 1901) |
| Pedigree Link |
Obituary -- The Gazette; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Sunday, June 15, 1958; Page 19 (Newspapers.com):
Services Monday for John Bumgardner, 77 (Special to the Gazette)
CENTER POINT -- John T. Bumgardner, 77, a retired garage man, died Friday evening in a Cedar Rapids hospital.
Born July 10, 1880, at Center Point, he was married to Grace Dye on March 26, 1907.
A member of the Center Point volunteer fire department for 40 years, he served as fire chief for 20 years.
Survivors include his wife and 2 sisters, Mrs. John Ferguson of Urbana and Mrs. Austin Roseberry of Center Point.
Services will be held Monday at 2 p.m. in the First Christian church. Burial will be in the Center Point Cemetery. The body is at Murdoch funeral home here.
| Last Edited | 21 June 2019 00:00:00 |
| Pedigree Link |
| Son | John Thomas Bumgardner (b. 10 July 1880, d. 13 June 1958) |
| Last Edited | 31 March 2019 00:00:00 |
| Pedigree Link |
| Son | John Thomas Bumgardner (b. 10 July 1880, d. 13 June 1958) |
| Last Edited | 31 March 2019 00:00:00 |
| Pedigree Link |
Obituary -- The San Bernardino County Sun; San Bernardino, California; Monday, December 6, 1976; Page 22 (Newspapers.com):
Carl L. Bills, Yucaipa
Carl Lee Bills, 83, 12726 California St., Yucaipa, died Saturday in a Yucaipa hospital. He was born in Springfield, Iowa and lived in Yucaipa 11 years.
Bills was a retired rancher and belonged to the Yucaipa Grange and the Pythagoras Lodge No. 383 A.F. & A.M. of Cassville, Mo.
Survivors include his wife, Nellie; a daughter, Esther Wenig of Cheyenne, Wyo.; two stepdaughters, Dorothy Mills of Long Beach and Vera Jewell of Newport Beach; four stepsons, Merle Mills of Ashland, Ore., Gerald Mills of Long Beach, Richard Mills of Los Angeles and Lewis Mills of Newport News, Va., 18 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Services are scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday in the Hughes Funeral Chapel, Yucaipa, with burial to follow in Desert Lawn Park.
| Last Edited | 21 June 2019 00:00:00 |
| Father | Peter George Washington Van Fossen (b. 20 April 1851, d. 14 January 1926) |
| Mother | Jane Mariah Garretson (b. 16 May 1860, d. 28 May 1949) |
| Pedigree Link |
Obituary -- The Gazette; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Tuesday, August 27, 1946; Page 8 (Newspapers.com):
James F. Van Fossen
James Franklin Van Fossen, 69, who had worked as a carpenter in the Rock Island shops in Cedar Rapids 20 years prior to his retirement in 1937, died at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at his home in Center Point.
Surviving are his wife; a son, Clarence, and a daughter, Mrs. Bernice Faulkner, both of Cedar Rapids; his mother, Mrs. James Van Fossen, Center Point; five sisters and four brothers.
Services will be held at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the Christian church in Center Point.
| Last Edited | 21 June 2019 00:00:00 |
| Pedigree Link |
| Son | James Franklin Van Fossen (b. 30 January 1877, d. 27 August 1946) |
| Last Edited | 31 March 2019 00:00:00 |
| Pedigree Link |
| Son | James Franklin Van Fossen (b. 30 January 1877, d. 27 August 1946) |
| Last Edited | 31 March 2019 00:00:00 |
| Father | David Sidney Carman (b. 29 April 1844, d. 1918) |
| Mother | Elizabeth Ward (b. April 1854, d. 1909) |
| Pedigree Link |
| Son | Orval Dean Dye+ (b. 25 January 1914, d. 21 May 1983) |
| Son | Carl David Dye+ (b. 17 August 1916, d. 9 October 1990) |
| Son | Floyd C. Dye+ (b. 26 June 1918, d. 1 May 1959) |
| Daughter | Phyllis Arlene Dye+ (b. 6 January 1923, d. 17 January 2004) |
| Son | Clifford Melford Dye (b. 5 October 1924, d. 20 May 1925) |
| Daughter | Marie Ileanna Dye+ (b. 18 November 1927, d. 22 February 1999) |
Obituary -- The Gazette; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Monday, December 11, 1978; Page 3 (Newspapers.com):
Ruth Dye, 84, of 510 Coral Drive, Hiawatha, a lifetime resident of the Center Point and Cedar Rapids areas, died Sunday in a Cedar Rapids Hospital following a short illness.
Born Oct. 10, 1894, near Urbana, she was married to Willie M. Dye on Oct. 31, 1912, at Palo. He died Sept. 5, 1961, at Center Point.
Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Joe Kun and Mrs. John Abein, both of Hiawatha; two sons, Orval of Cedar Rapids and Carl of Hermann, Mo.; 14 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and one brother, Alva Carman of Tacoma, Wash.
Services: 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Murdoch Chapel in Center Point by the Revs. Sheridan and Charlotte Mallot. Burial: Center Point Cemetery. Friends may call at the chapel.
| Last Edited | 15 February 2021 00:00:00 |
| Pedigree Link |
| Daughter | Ruth Carman+ (b. 6 October 1894, d. 10 December 1978) |
| Last Edited | 31 March 2019 00:00:00 |
| Pedigree Link |
| Daughter | Ruth Carman+ (b. 6 October 1894, d. 10 December 1978) |
| Last Edited | 31 March 2019 00:00:00 |
| Father | William Melvin Dye (b. 15 April 1883, d. 5 September 1961) |
| Mother | Ruth Carman (b. 6 October 1894, d. 10 December 1978) |
| Pedigree Link |
| Son | Neal M. Dye |
| Daughter | Marlene T. Dye (b. 6 July 1947, d. 31 August 2014) |
Obituary (via Findagrave.com) -- Cedar Rapids Gazetta, Monday, May 23, 1983, Cedar Rapids, Iowa:
Orval D. Dye, 69, of 2035 Park Ave. SE died Saturday afternoon at Mercy Hospital after a long illness.
Born Jan. 25, 1914; he married Matilda Berry at Hiawatha on May 2, 1971. A 1932 graduate of Center Point High School, he served in the U.S. Army from 1942-62. Mr. Dye was a retired Armstrong's employee and a resident of Cedar Rapids since 1964.
Surviving in addition to his wife are a daughter, Marlene of St. Petersburg, Fla.; a son, Neal of Dallas, Texas; two sisters, Phyllis Kun and Mrs John Ablen, both of Hiawatha; a brother, Carl D of Hermann, Mo.; five stepchildren; 18 step-grandchildren; and nine step great-grandchildren.
Services: 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Murdoch Funeral Chapel in Center Point by the Rev. Charlotte Mallott. Burial: Center Point Cemetery, where Dye Benion Post No. 297 will conduct military services, Visitation: after 3:30 p.m. today at the chapel.
WW II service, U.S. Army, Sgt., released 13 OCT 1945
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE - Stars And Stripes, March 23, 1943
Jim Jessee, Trace First In Ulster Table Tennis
BELFAST, Mar. 22 -- T/Sgt. Jim Jessee, of Coeurd' Alene, Idaho, on furlough from England, and Pvt. Eugene Trace, of South Bend, Ind., paired up to win the doubles table tennis tournament at the Red Cross club here, upsetting Pvt. Jack Kantor, of Brooklin, N.Y., and T/4 Orval Dye, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the finals. Kantor recently won the singles championship.
Jessee and Trace advanced to the finals by beating Cpl. Mike Abdo, of Oleon, N.Y., and Sgt. Paul Lange, of Shenandoah, Iowa, while Kantor and Dye moved into the playoff by tripping Pfc Carl Embry, of Beaver Dam, Ky., and Pfc Calvin Grimme, of Indianapolis, Ind.
| Last Edited | 30 August 2021 00:00:00 |
| Father | William Melvin Dye (b. 15 April 1883, d. 5 September 1961) |
| Mother | Ruth Carman (b. 6 October 1894, d. 10 December 1978) |
| Pedigree Link |
| Daughter | Iva Marie Dye+ (b. 1 June 1947, d. 16 June 2013) |
| Daughter | Connie Ruth Dye+ |
| Son | David Dye |
WW II service, U.S. Army, including Papua, New Guinea campaign, enlisted, discharged 1 SEP 1945.
Newspaper articles:
Globe-Gazette (Mason City, Iowa); Wednesday, 03 Sep 1941; Page 5; (Newspapers.com):
Fill Hancock Draft Quotas
Selective Service Board Names Men for Sept. 9, 11
BRITT -- The local selective service office has two calls for seven men to leave for induction into the army on Sept. 9 and 11.
Those leaving Sept. 9 are ....[ included Carl D. Dye of Kanawha] ...... .
The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Friday, 07 Sep 1945; page 6;? ? (Newspapers.com):
East Iowans Get Releases
Special to The Gazette.
JEFFERSON BARRACKS, Mo. -- Eastern Iowa soldiers released from service at the separation center here ........ [included Pfc. Carl D. Dye].
| Last Edited | 29 March 2021 00:00:00 |
| Father | William Lee Mills (b. 29 May 1885, d. 10 June 1935) |
| Mother | Dessie Irene Mitchell (b. 24 February 1906, d. 22 July 1997) |
| Pedigree Link |
| Son | David Dye |
Obituary -- New Haven Leader; April 7, 2004 (Ancestry.com Message Board):
Helen B. Dye of Hermann died 1 April 2004 at Forest Park Hospital in St. Louis. She was 78.
Mrs. Dye was born 23 August 1925 in Mountain Grove, MO to William Mills and Dessie Mills, nee Mitchell.
She was the widow of Carl David Dye. The couple was married 29 May 1954 in Waterloo, IL (sic).
Mrs. Dye was a member of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Hermann. She worked at the Langenberg Cap Factory in Berger until her retirement.
She is survived by one son, David and Carol Dye of Austin, TX; by three daughters, Patricia Heidebur, Hermann, Iva and husband Kenny West, Festus and Connie Barbey, DeSoto; by one sister, Wilma Bomar of Ellington, MO; and by 15 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Dye was preceded in death by her husband and by brothers, Preston, William and Don Mills.
Funeral services were held April 5 at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Hermann, by Rev. Pete Scheele. Burial was in St. John's Cemetery, Berger.
Memorials can be made to Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church.
OBITUARY - Saint Louis Post-Dispatch; Saint Louis, Missouri; Saturday, April 3, 2004; Other Editions, Page A028 (Newspapers.com):
DYE, HELEN B., Thursday April 1, 2004; beloved wife of the late Carl Dye; dearest mother of David (Carol) Dye, Patricia Heidebur, Iva (Kenny) West and Connie Barbey; dear sister of Wilma Bomar; dear grandmother and great-grandmother.
Funeral service Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, West Hwy. 100, Hermann, Missouri, Mon., April 5 at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be in St. John's Cemetery, Berger, Missouri. Visitation will be Sun., April 4, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at TOEDTMANN & GROSSE Funeral Home, Hermann, Missouri. Memorials may be given to Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, c/o Toedtmann-Gross Funeral Home, 1221 Washington St., Hermann, MO 65041.
Note: Patricia S. (Unknown) Craven-Heidebur (b. 9 Oct 1943) appears to be Helen's daughter from an earlier relationship. Iva Marie (Dye) West and Connie Ruth (Dye) Barbey, mentioned in the above obituary are Carl David Dye's children from his first marriage.
| Last Edited | 29 March 2021 00:00:00 |
| Pedigree Link |
| Daughter | Helen Bernice Mills+ (b. 23 August 1925, d. 1 April 2004) |
| Last Edited | 31 March 2019 00:00:00 |
| Pedigree Link |
| Daughter | Helen Bernice Mills+ (b. 23 August 1925, d. 1 April 2004) |
| Last Edited | 31 March 2019 00:00:00 |
| Father | William Melvin Dye (b. 15 April 1883, d. 5 September 1961) |
| Mother | Ruth Carman (b. 6 October 1894, d. 10 December 1978) |
| Pedigree Link |
| Daughter | Carla Marilyn Dye |
| Son | Carl Melvin Dye |
Obituary & Funeral notice:
The Gazette, (Cedar Rapids, IA); Saturday, May 2, 1959; page 2; (crpubliclibrary.newspaperarchive):
Floyd Dye Dies Of Stab Wound
Floyd Dye, 40, stabbed Wednesday with a 10-inch butcher knife, died at 4:15 p.m. Friday in a Cedar Rapids hospital.
He had been listed in critical condition at the hospital since Wednesday night.
His estranged wife, Beatrice Dye, 41 , was released by authorities Friday after Dye declined to press charges against her for the stabbing.
Dye had told detectives he didn't want her charged because he had been drinking when he fought with his estranged wife and that he considered himself at least partly at fault in the stabbing.
The couple fought in Mrs. Dye's apartment at 121 Sixth street SW. Dye was stabbed in the upper left arm, where an artery was severed.
Born in Center Point June 26, 1918, Dye had resided in Cedar Rapids the last 20 years. A truck operator, he was married to Beatrice Lane in Blue Earth, Minn., on Nov. 28, 1952.
Surviving besides his wife are 2 children, Carla and Carl, at home; his father, Willie M. of Center Point; 2 brothers, and 2 sisters, Mrs. Joe Kun of Cedar Rapids and Mrs. Charles Tudor of Winthrop.
He was a member of the EUB church at Center Point. Friends may call at Barta-Hesser's from 2 p.m. Sunday until 9 a.m. Monday.
The Gazette, (Cedar Rapids, IA); Sunday, May 03, 1959; page 6; (crpubliclibrary.newspaperarchive):
Dye Services
Services for Floyd C. Dye will be conducted at 1:30 Monday at the EUB church at Center Point by the Rev. William Suckow. Burial at Center Point. Friends may call at Barta-Hesser's from 2 p.m. today until 9 a. m. Monday.
Survivors include, besides those listed in Saturday's paper, his mother, Mrs. Ruth Dye at Cedar Rapids.
Carla and Carl, 2 children who survived Mr. Dye, live in Cedar Rapids but not with Beatrice Dye as was indicated in Saturday's Gazette. They are Mr. Dye's children from a former marriage.
Newspaper articles:
The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Thursday, 27 Mar 1958; Page 2; (Newspapers.com):
Floyd C. Dye Is Fined $25 on Weapons Count
A $25 fine was levied Wednesday against a Cedar Rapids man who pled guilty to a charge of carrying a concealed weapon. He is Floyd C. Dye, 39.
He withdrew an earlier plea of innocent, and was fined by Judge Floyd Philbrick. Arrested in January, Dye was accused of carrying a .22 caliber pistol in his car.
"Suits Filed," The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Wednesday, Aril 22, 1959; page 4; (crpubliclibrary.newspaperarchive):
....
Farmers State Bank vs. Dale Hepker and Floyd Dye. $359 on check honored by plaintiff but on which payment was refused by the bank on which it was drawn.
Des Moines Tribune, Des Moines, Iowa, Thursday, 30 APR 1959, p.25:
Iowan Stabbed
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA --
Floyd C. Dye, 40, was in serious condition in a hospital here Wednesday as a result of stab wounds suffered Wednesday night. His wife is being held on an open charge.
The Gazette, (Cedar Rapids, IA); Thursday, April 30, 1959; page1 & 2; (crpubliclibrary.newspaperarchive):
Man Stabbed By Estranged Wife May Die
The life of a 40-year-old man hung in the balance today after he was stabbed with a 10-inch butcher knife during a hassle with his estranged wife.
The victim is Floyd Dye, address unknown. He is in Mercy hospital. Dye had receive 11 blood transfusions by mid morning today.
Police are now holding his estranged wife, Beatrice, 41, on an open charge.
Dye was stabbed in the upper arm, severing an artery. He is being treated by Dr. Richard Sedlacek who described the Dye's condition as serious.
At Midnight
Dye showed up at his wife's second floor apartment at 121 Sixth st. SW about midnight. Mrs. Dye was asleep on the davenport when he arrived. She had come home about 7 and dozed off.
"I thought he was sober," Mrs. Dye told detectives, "so I let him in.
Once inside, Floyd started hitting me. He ripped my blouse and knocked me to the floor."
"Keep Away"
She said as she tried to get into the bedroom to get a different blouse but Floyd blocked her path. She then went into the kitchen, grabbed a butcher knife from a drawer, and waved it at her husband.
"I wanted to keep him away from me," she said.
Making a comment that "2 could play that game," Floyd grabbed a second knife and started toward his wife.
"I kept waving my knife as he approached. Suddenly Floyd grabbed his left arm. He started bleeding badly," Mrs. Dye said.
As Floyd slumped to the floor, Mrs. Dye told detectives she took what remained of her blouse and tried to stop the bleeding. She said she ran to a pay telephone next door to call an ambulance, but had forgotten her glasses and could not read the print in the phone book.
Gets Glasses
Floyd was still bleeding badly when she returned to the apartment for her glasses. She said she took a bath towel and tried again to stop the bleeding, but she couldn't.
Mrs. Dye then went to 523 First ave. SW, the residence of her father, Ralph Lane. He called an ambulance.
Dye was sitting on the edge of the bathtub when the ambulance arrived. Rushed to Mercy, he was given transfusions and blood plasma immediately.
Mrs. Dye told police that she and her husband have been separated for about 2 years. She said she filed suit for divorce about a year ago.
| Last Edited | 27 May 2021 00:00:00 |
| Father | William Melvin Dye (b. 15 April 1883, d. 5 September 1961) |
| Mother | Ruth Carman (b. 6 October 1894, d. 10 December 1978) |
| Pedigree Link |
| Son | Joseph Francis Kun+ |
Obituary -- The Gazette; Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, Iowa; Monday, January 19, 2004 (GenealogyBank.com):
Phyllis Arlene Kun, 81, a resident of Willow Gardens Care Center, died there Saturday, Jan. 17, 2004, following a long illness. Services: 10 a.m. Wednesday, Cedar Memorial Chapel of Memories, by the Rev. Michael Ellson of Center Point United Methodist Church. Burial: Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery. Friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Cedar Memorial Funeral Home and after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the chapel.
Survivors include a son, Joseph and wife Karen of Omaha, Neb.; two grandchildren, Kelley Vincentini and husband Curt of Omaha, Neb., and Kristy McLeod and husband Whit of Arcata, Calif.; three great-grandchildren, Nicholas, Olivia and Jacob; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; four brothers, Orval, Carl, Floyd and Clifford Dye; and a sister, Marie Abelyn.
Phyllis was born Jan. 6, 1923, in Center Point, to William and Ruth Carman Dye. She married Joseph F. Kun on June 15, 1946, in Cedar Rapids. He died in 1970. Phyllis worked in the shipping office at Nash Finch for 23 years. She enjoyed crocheting, making quilts and crossword puzzles.
| Last Edited | 21 June 2019 00:00:00 |
| Father | Bohumil Kun (b. 1864, d. 1946) |
| Mother | Zofie Becicka (b. 1880, d. 1968) |
| Pedigree Link |
| Son | Joseph Francis Kun+ |
Obituary -- The Gazette; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Tuesday, March 17, 1970; Page 3 (Newspapers.com):
Joseph F. Kun
Joseph F. Kun, 54, of 1620 Keith drive NE, a lifelong Cedar Rapids resident, died Monday after a long illness. Born April 23, 1915, in Cedar Rapids, he was married to Phyllis Dye June 15, 1946. He was employed for 29 years as a food processor for the Witwer Co. For the last 1 1/2 years he had done janitorial work for the LeFebure Corp. A veteran of the army in World war II, he was a member of the Hanford American Legion post.
Surviving are his wife, a son, Joseph; a sister, Martha Peck, and two brothers, John and Carl, all of Cedar Rapids.
Services: Brosh chapel Thursday at 2 p.m. by the Very Rev. Canon D. A. Loferski. Burial: Cedar Memorial cemetery. Friends may call at the chapel after noon Wednesday.
| Last Edited | 21 June 2019 00:00:00 |
| Father | William Melvin Dye (b. 15 April 1883, d. 5 September 1961) |
| Mother | Ruth Carman (b. 6 October 1894, d. 10 December 1978) |
| Pedigree Link |
| Last Edited | 15 February 2021 00:00:00 |
| Father | William Melvin Dye (b. 15 April 1883, d. 5 September 1961) |
| Mother | Ruth Carman (b. 6 October 1894, d. 10 December 1978) |
| Pedigree Link |
| Son | Gordon Lee Merritt+ (b. 30 March 1944, d. 6 February 2011) |
| Son | Ronald Dee Merritt+ (b. 21 January 1947, d. 10 August 1995) |
| Son | Raymond Dean Merritt+ (b. 21 January 1947, d. 17 March 2007) |
| Daughter | Meryl Lynn Tudor |
| Son | Bruce Anthony Tudor+ (b. 3 September 1956, d. 27 April 2010) |
| Son | Michael G. Tudor |
Obituary -- The Gazette; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Wednesday, February 24, 1999; Page 10 (Newspapers.com):
HIAWATHA
Marie I. Dye, 71, 155 Robins Rd., No. 123, died Monday, Feb. 22, 1999, in Mercy Medical Center, Cedar Rapids, following complications of a stroke. Services 11 a.m. Thursday, Murdoch Funeral Home, Center Point, by the Rev. Martha Bennett. Burial: Center Point Cemetery. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Survivors include sons Gordon, Raymond and Bruce Anthony, all of Cedar Rapids, and Mike of Beaver Dam, Wis., 14 grandchildren, including two special grandchildren, Ann and Jessica, 15 great-grandchildren; and a sister, Phyllis Kun of Hiawatha.
She was preceded in death by a son, Ronald; and three brothers, Carl, Orville and Floyd Dye.
She was born Nov. 18, 1927, in Center Point, to William and Ruth Carman Dye.
Family life was very important to her and she will be greatly missed.
A memorial fund has been established.
Newspaper Articles -- Globe-Gazette; Mason City, Iowa; Wednesday, January 4, 1956; Page 1 (Newspapers.com):
Man Held in Shooting
Ex-Husband of Woman Slain in Car
Gordon Merritt Is Victim
Winthrop - A 32-year-old man was shot to death as he sat in his car with his former wife here early Wednesday.
Authorities were holding the woman's present husband in connection with the case. Buchanan County Sheriff Emery Hart said Gordon Merritt, Walker, was shot in the forehead by a bullet from a 32 caliber target pistol.
No Charges
The sheriff identified the man being held as Charles Tudor, 27, Winthrop.
No charges had been filed.
Hart said the shooting occurred in front of the Tudor home here. After the shooting, he said, Tudor went to the home of a neighbor, Loras Hefferman, and asked that the sheriff's office in Independence be called.
The sheriff said Merritt had brought his former wife, who married Tudor last July, home about 12:45 a.m.
Before Midnight
Tudor said Merritt came to their home just before midnight and Tudor decided to "scare him away" with a pistol that shots "soft nose" hollow bullets.
Tudor told the sheriff he shot just once.
Tudor was taken to Independence and jailed.
Mrs. Tudor has two small boys from her marriage to Merritt. The children were asleep in the Tudor home when the shooting occurred.
Note: There were three boys from the marriage of Marie Ilena Dye to Gordon Ray Merritt: Gordon Lee Merritt (age 11), twins Ronald Dee Merritt and Raymond Dean Merritt (age 8).
-- The Courier; Waterloo, Iowa; Friday, April 13, 1956; Page 1 (Newspapers.com)
Mrs. Tudor Relates Shooting Incidents (by Harry Grove, Courier Staff Writer)
INDEPENDENCE -- The events of Jan 3 up to the fatal shooting of Gordon Merritt, 32, Walker, were related here by Mrs. Marie Tudor, 29, wife of the man on trial for second degree murder.
Mrs. Tudor was the only witness Friday morning as the trial of Charles Tudor, 27, Winthrop, moved into its third day.
She recalled the day spent with Merritt, which began at about 10:30 a.m. and ended about 12:45 a.m. the next day with the fatal shooting.
Merritt picked her up the morning of Jan. 3, she said, for a pre-arranged trip arranged by letter to Cedar Rapids. Purpose of the trip was to switch the income tax dependency of their three children from Merritt, her former husband to Tudor.
SHE TESTIFIED that they drove first to Quasqueton and stopped at a tavern where Merritt drank some beer. They stopped again at another tavern near Cedar Rapids.
She said Gordon told her at that point that "there's no need to go to the courthouse" because "it would just be a bunch of red tape."
They then drove to Marion and Mrs. Tudor reported she told Merritt she had to go home and he said he would take her.
They then stopped at a Marion tavern where they remaind from about 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. After leaving Marion, Merritt drove her to a farm of one of his uncle's near Waubeek. He drank some more beer with his uncle.
After departing from the farm, Mrs. Tudor said they drove to Central City and another tavern. She said she again mentioned that she had to get home.
MERRITT MET a friend of his who accompanied them from Central City to another tavern at Prairieburg. She said it was about 11 p.m. when they left that tavern and returned to Central City to drop off Merritt's friend.
They then started to drive home.
Mrs. Tudor testified that after they pulled into the driveway at the Tudor home in Winthrop, she "asked Gordon to come in and tell Bud where we had been."
She said she had her hand on the doorhandle and when the door was opened, she saw her husband standing in the doorway of the car.
She quoted Tudor as shouting, "Damn it, Merritt!"
She said she reached up to pull the gun Tudor was holding away from her face and the gun went off.
MRS. TUDOR RAN into the house and then to a neighbor's home where she heard Tudor say outside that "Marie grabbed the gun."
She said she shouted at that time that she didn't grab the gun because "I didn't want to think I was responsible for a death."
In cross examination Friday morning Mrs. Tudor told Louis Beecher that on Apr. 10 she was taken to a psychiatrist and there recalled that she had grabbed the gun.
Her testimony followed that of Tudor's Thursday in which he illustrated how his wife grabbed the gun before it went off.
He said he had not cocked the gun before arriving at the car and that a broken trigger spring prevented the gun from being fired unless the trigger was first pushed forward. He said it "would have to be a severe blow" on the gun hand to set off the gun with the hammer down.
MRS. TUDOR FRIDAY said that on one of her trips to Independence Jan. 7 after the shooting she went to a doctor, who took a piece of metal from the middle finger of her right hand.
Tudor said in direct examination Thursday that he had noticed a laceration of his wife's finger when she had visited him Jan. 5 at jail.
In testimony Wednesday, a gunsmith and Tudor explained that Tudor's revolver was defective. They said when the revolver was fired, small shavings from the bullet often would break off and fly out through the cylinder.
When asked in cross ecamination Thursday by Beecher if he recognized his wife under the domelight of the car when the door was opened, Tudor replied, "Yes, I suppose I did."
TUDOR TESTIFIED that he wanted to scare Merritt because "I wanted to tell him it was all right to see my wife while I was home but not while I was not at home."
"Why did you take the gun out to the car," he was asked.
"I didn't want any argument."
"Did you expect any argument?"
"If I was bringing another man's wife home in the middle of the night, I would expect an argument."
Tudor also testified under cross examination that he had a fight with Merrit at Walker in 1953, partially over Marie, who was then Mrs. Merritt.
-- The Courier; Waterloo, Iowa; Sunday, April 15, 1956; Page 20 (Newspapers.com):
Tudor Trial May Climax Tuesday (By Harry Grove, Courier, Staff Writer)
INDEPENDENCE -- The second degree murder trial of Charles Tudor is expected to reach the jury late Tuesday, according to indications at the 3 p.m. Friday adjournment of district court here.
Defense attorneys Robert Carson, of Independence, and Paul Kildee, of Waterloo, will resume examination of witnesses at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
A previous commitment for Monday by Judge Blair Wood necessitated the long adjournment.
Tudor, a 27-year-old Winthrop mechanic, is accused of murder in the Jan. 4 shooting of Gordon Merritt, 32, of Walker, the former husband of Mrs. Tudor.
Merritt was killed by a single shot from a .22 calibre revolver as he sat with Mrs. Tudor in his car in front of the Tudor home about 12:30 a.m. According to testimony by Mrs. Tudor, 29, she had accompanied Merritt on a planned trip to Cedar Rapids to switch dependency of her and Merritt's three sons from Merritt to Tudor.
SHE TESTIFIED Friday that Merritt did not drive to Cedar Rapids because, he insisted, it would involve "just a bunch of red tape." Merritt stopped at taverns in Quasqueton, Marion, Central City and Prairieburg before returning to Winthrop, Mrs. Tudor testified.
The defense is contending that Tudor kept a loaded revolver in his home as a precaution against prowlers and that his wife grabbed the gun, discharging it accidentally as Tudor opened the door of Merritt's car.
In the crowded courtrooom Friday, a Chicago spectrochemist demonstrated that his analysis indicated identical metallic composition of particles removed from Mrs. Tudor's finger after the shooting and slugs from cartridges of the type used in the Tudor revolver.
TUDOR AND a Waterloo gunsmith testified earlier that Tudor's defective gun often allowed slug shavings to escape between the cylinder and barrel chamber when fired.
The defense is attempting to link Mrs. Tudor's finger wound as corroboration of her and Tudor's testimony that she grabbed the cylinder portion of the gun the instant she saw her husband at the door of Merritt's car.
A psychiatrist is expected to testify Tuesday concerning Mrs. Tudor's cross examination testimony Friday that she recalled through hypnosis Apr. 10 that she had hit the gun.
Under earlier cross examination, she admitted screaming, "I didn't" when she overheard her husband say she grabbed the gun during his explanation on the night of the shooting.
A JURY OF five women and seven men will be called on to return verdicts either of second degree murder or manslaughter or absolve Tudor of criminal guilt in the incident.
Conviction of second degree murder would mean a penitentiary sentence of from 10 years to life. The maximum penalty for manslaughter is eight years in prison and $1000 fine.
Prosecutors Louis Beecher of Waterloo and William Klotzbach, Buchanan county attorney, rested the state's case Thursday.
-- The Courier, Waterloo, Iowa; Tuesday, April 17, 1956; Page 2 (Newspapers.com):
Tudor Case to Jury Wednesday (By Harry Grove, Courier Staff Writer)
INDEPENDENCE -- Testimony in the second degree murder trial of Charles Tudor ended at 1:35 p.m. Tuesday in district court here.
Attorneys will present final arguments before the court at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, and the trial will then be sent to the jury.
Dr. James Cromwell, superintendent of the Mental Health Institute here, was the first witness for the defense Tuesday morning.
In spite of an hour and 40-minute conference in Judge Blair Wood's office Tuesday morning, and a recess at noon, the trial was expected to reach the jury late Tuesday.
As first witness at 9:30 a.m., Dr. Cormwell identified himself on the stand and said that he had examined Mrs. Tudor on April 10.
AT THAT POINT the judge and the defense and prosecution attorney's left the courtroom to confer on the limitations of Dr. Cromwell's testimony. They were out in conference about one hour and 40 minutes.
Tudor, a 27-year-old Winthrop mechanic, is accused of murder in the Jan. 4 shooting of Gordon Merritt, 32, of Walker, the former husband of Mrs. Tudor.
Merritt was killed by a single shot from a .22 calibre revolver as he sat with Mrs. Tudor in his car in front of the Tudor home about 12:30 a.m. According to testimony by Mrs. Tudor, 29, she had accompanied Merritt on a planned trip to Cedar Rapids to switch dependency of her and Merritt's three sons from Merritt to Tudor.
THE DEFENSE is contending that Tudor kept a loaded revolver in his home as a precaution against prowlers and that his wife grabbed the gun, discharging it accidentally as Tudor opened the door of Merrit's car.
When the judge and attorneys returned, Dr. Cromwell took the stand again and Judge Wood overruled an objection by the state for any further testimony by Dr. Cormwell.
He was limited, however, to the stipulations made in that conference.
Under defense questioning, then, at that point Dr. Cromwell said on his Apr. 10 examination of Mrs. Tudor he found she was suffering from "hysterical amnesia," and described that as "the inability to remember, a memory loss due to emotional or psychological causes rather than injury."
HE TESTIFIED further that he had used hypnosis as a method of treatment on Mrs. Tudor and testified that he thought she was now cured.
Under earlier cross examination, Mrs. Tudor admitted screaming, "I didn't" when she overheard her husband say she grabbed the gun during his explanation on the night of the shooting.
The defense then called Loras Heffernen, who testified earlier for the state. He is the operator of the Winthrop service station-tavern to which Tudor ran after the shooting.
The only thing he said for the defense was that he recoalled Tudor telling him that he had dozed before his wife got home that evening.
THE NEXT DEFENSE witness, Floyd Dye, of Cedar Rapids, a brother of Mrs. Tudor, said that he was called to Winthrop on the night of the shooting and described Marie as "hysterical."
He also testified to seeing "a large red area like a burn on her finger."
Friday a Chicago spectrochemist demonstrated that his analysis indicated identical metallic composition of particles removed from Mrs. Tudor's finger after the shooting and slugs from cartridges of the type used in the Tudor revolver.
Tudor and a Waterloo gunsmith testified earlier that Tudor's defective gun often allowed slug shavings to escape between the cylinder and barrel chamber when fired.
THE DEFENSE is attempting to link Mrs. Tudor's finger wound as corroboration of her and Tudor's testimony that she grabbed the cylinder portion of the gun the instant she saw her husband at the door of Merritt's car.
The defense called four witnesses who all called Tudor's reputation "good." They were Dr. A. J. Murphy, Winthrop veterinarian; Mrs. Amanda Harrington, wife of the Winthrop newspaper publisher; I. L. Hand, Winthrop implement dealer, and George Brubaker, Winthrop postmaster.
A fifth character witness was heard Tuesday afternoon for the defense. Harrison Mast, who operates an implement shop in WInthrop where Tudor is currently employed, said of Tudor's reputation that it was 'good."
A jury of five women and seven men will be called on to return verdicts either of second degree murder or manslaughter or absolve Tudor of criminal guilt in the incident.
Defense attorneys are Robert Carson, Independence, and Paul Kildee, of Waterloo. Prosecutors Louis Beecher of Waterloo and William Klotzbach, Buchanan county attorney, rested the state's case Thursday.
-- The Des Moines Register; Des Moines, Iowa; Friday, April 20, 1956; Page 4 (Newspapers.com)
DISMISS JURY IN TUDOR CASE
INDEPENDENCE, IA (AP) -- The jury in the Charles Tudor second degree murder trial was discharged early Thursday after the foreman reported that it was hopelessly deadlocked.
The case went to the jury at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday and District Judge Blair Wood discharged the jurors at 3 a.m. Thursday. He set retrial of the case for the September term of court here.
Tudor, 27, Winthrop mechanic, was tried for the fatal shooting of Gordon Merritt, 32, Walker, early the morning of Jan. 4.
Merritt was shot as he sat in his parked car with Mrs. Tudor in front of the Tudor residence. She was his former wife. Merritt had picked her up about 10:30 a.m. Jan. 3 for a business trip to Cedar Rapids.
Mrs. Tudor testified Merritt spent the day stopping in taverns in various towns and never made the Cedar Rapids business stop.
Tudor testified Merritt was shot accidentally. He said his old revolver discharged when Mrs. Tudor grabbed the cylinder after he opened the door of the parked car. The state contended the shooting was deliberate and that Mrs. Tudor merely threw up her hands to protect herself.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE - Quad-City Times; Davenport, Iowa; Friday, September 21, 1956; Page 29 (Newspapers.com):
Iowan Gets Parole In Slaying Case
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (UP) -- Charles Tudor, 27, Winthrop, Thursday received a bench parole from an eight year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the killing of a Walker, Iowa, man last January.
Tudor's attorneys met with District Court Judge Blair Wood Thursday and agreed to the lesser charge of manslaughter. Tudor had been tried for second degree murder in April but the jury failed to reach a decision.
The meeting between Wood, Tudor's attorneys and Buchanan County Atty. William Klotzbach came before a new trial could be scheduled.
Tudor had been charged with killing Gordon Merritt, Walker, while Merritt was sitting in a car in front of Tudor's house with Tudor's wife Marie. Mrs. Tudor was divorced from Merritt.
Wood sentenced Tudor to eight years in the Anamosa Reformatory and then issued a bench parole and fined him $500 and court costs.
He told Tudor, who became the father of a baby girl last month "he had learned his lesson through the long deliberations since the shooting.
| Last Edited | 30 March 2021 00:00:00 |
| Father | Ernest M. Tudor (b. 1 October 1902, d. 19 July 1985) |
| Mother | Alice Emily Scott (b. 9 November 1907, d. 8 August 1995) |
| Pedigree Link |
| Daughter | Meryl Lynn Tudor |
| Son | Bruce Anthony Tudor+ (b. 3 September 1956, d. 27 April 2010) |
| Son | Michael G. Tudor |
Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):
Charles "Bud" Tudor was born July 13, 1928 in Winthrop, Ia., the son of Ernest B. and Alice Scott Tudor.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1945 and served during WWII.
Charles B. "Bud" Tudor 68 of Cedar Rapids, formerly from Olin died March 1, 1997 from a long struggle with Emphysema at St Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, IA.
Survivors include a daughter Meryl Lynn "Teede"Guarino and husband Jack of Holiday, FL, two sons, Bruce A. "Tony" Tudor and wife Marcia of Cedar Rapids, Michael G. Tudor and wife Sue of Beaver Dam, WI, eight grancdhildren, one brother Melvin Tudor of Cedar Rapids, five sisters, Mary Lou Shimp of Dunkerson, Velma Jean Tudor of Cedar Rapids, Laura Benzine of Princeton, TX Donna Knight of Las Vegas, NV, Verna Miller of Waverly and one step brother Bob Ball of Dubuque.
He was preceded in death by his mother Alice Ball, step-father Frank Ball, his father Ernest Tudor, a sister Betsy Gritton and a step-sister Jean Norcott.
Burial on March 5, 1997 at Fairview Cemetery, Winthrop, IA.
Newspaper Article -- the Daily Nonpareil; Council Bluffs, Iowa, Thursday, January 5, 1956, p.19 (Genealogybank.com):
To File Charge In Slaying Of Iowan
INDEPENDENCE, AP -- Authorities planned Thursday to file a charge of second degree murder against Charles Tudor, 27, of Winthrop in the slaying of Gordon Merritt, 32, of Walker.
County Attorney William G. Klotzbach said the charge will be filed in Justice Court.
Tudor gave himself up and was brought here Wednesday. He is being held in the Buchanan County jail. The slain man formerly was the husband of Tudor's wife and was father of her two small boys.
Sheriff Emery Hart said Tudor admitted he shot Merrill early Wedneday morning as Merritt sat in his car in front of the Tudor home with Mrs. Tudor. The children were asleep in the house at the time.
Hart quoted Tudor as saying that he did not intend to kill Merritt but only to scare him.
The sheriff also said Tudor told him that Merritt had frequently bothered his wife since they were married last July.
Man Held in Shooting
Ex-Husband of Woman Slain in Car
Gordon Merritt Is Victim
Winthrop - A 32-year-old man was shot to death as he sat in his car with his former wife here early Wednesday.
Authorities were holding the woman's present husband in connection with the case. Buchanan County Sheriff Emery Hart said Gordon Merritt, Walker, was shot in the forehead by a bullet from a 32 caliber target pistol.
No Charges
The sheriff identified the man being held as Charles Tudor, 27, Winthrop.
No charges had been filed.
Hart said the shooting occurred in front of the Tudor home here. After the shooting, he said, Tudor went to the home of a neighbor, Loras Hefferman, and asked that the sheriff's office in Independence be called.
The sheriff said Merritt had brought his former wife, who married Tudor last July, home about 12:45 a.m.
Before Midnight
Tudor said Merritt came to their home just before midnight and Tudor decided to "scare him away" with a pistol that shots "soft nose" hollow bullets.
Tudor told the sheriff he shot just once.
Tudor was taken to Independence and jailed.
Mrs. Tudor has two small boys from her marriage to Merritt. The children were asleep in the Tudor home when the shooting occurred.
Note: There were three boys from the marriage of Marie Ilena Dye to Gordon Ray Merritt: Gordon Lee Merritt (age 11), twins Ronald Dee Merritt and Raymond Dean Merritt (age 8).
-- The Courier; Waterloo, Iowa; Friday, April 13, 1956; Page 1 (Newspapers.com)
Mrs. Tudor Relates Shooting Incidents (by Harry Grove, Courier Staff Writer)
INDEPENDENCE -- The events of Jan 3 up to the fatal shooting of Gordon Merritt, 32, Walker, were related here by Mrs. Marie Tudor, 29, wife of the man on trial for second degree murder.
Mrs. Tudor was the only witness Friday morning as the trial of Charles Tudor, 27, Winthrop, moved into its third day.
She recalled the day spent with Merritt, which began at about 10:30 a.m. and ended about 12:45 a.m. the next day with the fatal shooting.
Merritt picked her up the morning of Jan. 3, she said, for a pre-arranged trip arranged by letter to Cedar Rapids. Purpose of the trip was to switch the income tax dependency of their three children from Merritt, her former husband to Tudor.
SHE TESTIFIED that they drove first to Quasqueton and stopped at a tavern where Merritt drank some beer. They stopped again at another tavern near Cedar Rapids.
She said Gordon told her at that point that "there's no need to go to the courthouse" because "it would just be a bunch of red tape."
They then drove to Marion and Mrs. Tudor reported she told Merritt she had to go home and he said he would take her.
They then stopped at a Marion tavern where they remaind from about 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. After leaving Marion, Merritt drove her to a farm of one of his uncle's near Waubeek. He drank some more beer with his uncle.
After departing from the farm, Mrs. Tudor said they drove to Central City and another tavern. She said she again mentioned that she had to get home.
MERRITT MET a friend of his who accompanied them from Central City to another tavern at Prairieburg. She said it was about 11 p.m. when they left that tavern and returned to Central City to drop off Merritt's friend.
They then started to drive home.
Mrs. Tudor testified that after they pulled into the driveway at the Tudor home in Winthrop, she "asked Gordon to come in and tell Bud where we had been."
She said she had her hand on the doorhandle and when the door was opened, she saw her husband standing in the doorway of the car.
She quoted Tudor as shouting, "Damn it, Merritt!"
She said she reached up to pull the gun Tudor was holding away from her face and the gun went off.
MRS. TUDOR RAN into the house and then to a neighbor's home where she heard Tudor say outside that "Marie grabbed the gun."
She said she shouted at that time that she didn't grab the gun because "I didn't want to think I was responsible for a death."
In cross examination Friday morning Mrs. Tudor told Louis Beecher that on Apr. 10 she was taken to a psychiatrist and there recalled that she had grabbed the gun.
Her testimony followed that of Tudor's Thursday in which he illustrated how his wife grabbed the gun before it went off.
He said he had not cocked the gun before arriving at the car and that a broken trigger spring prevented the gun from being fired unless the trigger was first pushed forward. He said it "would have to be a severe blow" on the gun hand to set off the gun with the hammer down.
MRS. TUDOR FRIDAY said that on one of her trips to Independence Jan. 7 after the shooting she went to a doctor, who took a piece of metal from the middle finger of her right hand.
Tudor said in direct examination Thursday that he had noticed a laceration of his wife's finger when she had visited him Jan. 5 at jail.
In testimony Wednesday, a gunsmith and Tudor explained that Tudor's revolver was defective. They said when the revolver was fired, small shavings from the bullet often would break off and fly out through the cylinder.
When asked in cross ecamination Thursday by Beecher if he recognized his wife under the domelight of the car when the door was opened, Tudor replied, "Yes, I suppose I did."
TUDOR TESTIFIED that he wanted to scare Merritt because "I wanted to tell him it was all right to see my wife while I was home but not while I was not at home."
"Why did you take the gun out to the car," he was asked.
"I didn't want any argument."
"Did you expect any argument?"
"If I was bringing another man's wife home in the middle of the night, I would expect an argument."
Tudor also testified under cross examination that he had a fight with Merrit at Walker in 1953, partially over Marie, who was then Mrs. Merritt.
-- The Courier; Waterloo, Iowa; Sunday, April 15, 1956; Page 20 (Newspapers.com):
Tudor Trial May Climax Tuesday (By Harry Grove, Courier, Staff Writer)
INDEPENDENCE -- The second degree murder trial of Charles Tudor is expected to reach the jury late Tuesday, according to indications at the 3 p.m. Friday adjournment of district court here.
Defense attorneys Robert Carson, of Independence, and Paul Kildee, of Waterloo, will resume examination of witnesses at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
A previous commitment for Monday by Judge Blair Wood necessitated the long adjournment.
Tudor, a 27-year-old Winthrop mechanic, is accused of murder in the Jan. 4 shooting of Gordon Merritt, 32, of Walker, the former husband of Mrs. Tudor.
Merritt was killed by a single shot from a .22 calibre revolver as he sat with Mrs. Tudor in his car in front of the Tudor home about 12:30 a.m. According to testimony by Mrs. Tudor, 29, she had accompanied Merritt on a planned trip to Cedar Rapids to switch dependency of her and Merritt's three sons from Merritt to Tudor.
SHE TESTIFIED Friday that Merritt did not drive to Cedar Rapids because, he insisted, it would involve "just a bunch of red tape." Merritt stopped at taverns in Quasqueton, Marion, Central City and Prairieburg before returning to Winthrop, Mrs. Tudor testified.
The defense is contending that Tudor kept a loaded revolver in his home as a precaution against prowlers and that his wife grabbed the gun, discharging it accidentally as Tudor opened the door of Merritt's car.
In the crowded courtrooom Friday, a Chicago spectrochemist demonstrated that his analysis indicated identical metallic composition of particles removed from Mrs. Tudor's finger after the shooting and slugs from cartridges of the type used in the Tudor revolver.
TUDOR AND a Waterloo gunsmith testified earlier that Tudor's defective gun often allowed slug shavings to escape between the cylinder and barrel chamber when fired.
The defense is attempting to link Mrs. Tudor's finger wound as corroboration of her and Tudor's testimony that she grabbed the cylinder portion of the gun the instant she saw her husband at the door of Merritt's car.
A psychiatrist is expected to testify Tuesday concerning Mrs. Tudor's cross examination testimony Friday that she recalled through hypnosis Apr. 10 that she had hit the gun.
Under earlier cross examination, she admitted screaming, "I didn't" when she overheard her husband say she grabbed the gun during his explanation on the night of the shooting.
A JURY OF five women and seven men will be called on to return verdicts either of second degree murder or manslaughter or absolve Tudor of criminal guilt in the incident.
Conviction of second degree murder would mean a penitentiary sentence of from 10 years to life. The maximum penalty for manslaughter is eight years in prison and $1000 fine.
Prosecutors Louis Beecher of Waterloo and William Klotzbach, Buchanan county attorney, rested the state's case Thursday.
-- The Courier, Waterloo, Iowa; Tuesday, April 17, 1956; Page 2 (Newspapers.com):
Tudor Case to Jury Wednesday (By Harry Grove, Courier Staff Writer)
INDEPENDENCE -- Testimony in the second degree murder trial of Charles Tudor ended at 1:35 p.m. Tuesday in district court here.
Attorneys will present final arguments before the court at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, and the trial will then be sent to the jury.
Dr. James Cromwell, superintendent of the Mental Health Institute here, was the first witness for the defense Tuesday morning.
In spite of an hour and 40-minute conference in Judge Blair Wood's office Tuesday morning, and a recess at noon, the trial was expected to reach the jury late Tuesday.
As first witness at 9:30 a.m., Dr. Cormwell identified himself on the stand and said that he had examined Mrs. Tudor on April 10.
AT THAT POINT the judge and the defense and prosecution attorney's left the courtroom to confer on the limitations of Dr. Cromwell's testimony. They were out in conference about one hour and 40 minutes.
Tudor, a 27-year-old Winthrop mechanic, is accused of murder in the Jan. 4 shooting of Gordon Merritt, 32, of Walker, the former husband of Mrs. Tudor.
Merritt was killed by a single shot from a .22 calibre revolver as he sat with Mrs. Tudor in his car in front of the Tudor home about 12:30 a.m. According to testimony by Mrs. Tudor, 29, she had accompanied Merritt on a planned trip to Cedar Rapids to switch dependency of her and Merritt's three sons from Merritt to Tudor.
THE DEFENSE is contending that Tudor kept a loaded revolver in his home as a precaution against prowlers and that his wife grabbed the gun, discharging it accidentally as Tudor opened the door of Merrit's car.
When the judge and attorneys returned, Dr. Cromwell took the stand again and Judge Wood overruled an objection by the state for any further testimony by Dr. Cormwell.
He was limited, however, to the stipulations made in that conference.
Under defense questioning, then, at that point Dr. Cromwell said on his Apr. 10 examination of Mrs. Tudor he found she was suffering from "hysterical amnesia," and described that as "the inability to remember, a memory loss due to emotional or psychological causes rather than injury."
HE TESTIFIED further that he had used hypnosis as a method of treatment on Mrs. Tudor and testified that he thought she was now cured.
Under earlier cross examination, Mrs. Tudor admitted screaming, "I didn't" when she overheard her husband say she grabbed the gun during his explanation on the night of the shooting.
The defense then called Loras Heffernen, who testified earlier for the state. He is the operator of the Winthrop service station-tavern to which Tudor ran after the shooting.
The only thing he said for the defense was that he recoalled Tudor telling him that he had dozed before his wife got home that evening.
THE NEXT DEFENSE witness, Floyd Dye, of Cedar Rapids, a brother of Mrs. Tudor, said that he was called to Winthrop on the night of the shooting and described Marie as "hysterical."
He also testified to seeing "a large red area like a burn on her finger."
Friday a Chicago spectrochemist demonstrated that his analysis indicated identical metallic composition of particles removed from Mrs. Tudor's finger after the shooting and slugs from cartridges of the type used in the Tudor revolver.
Tudor and a Waterloo gunsmith testified earlier that Tudor's defective gun often allowed slug shavings to escape between the cylinder and barrel chamber when fired.
THE DEFENSE is attempting to link Mrs. Tudor's finger wound as corroboration of her and Tudor's testimony that she grabbed the cylinder portion of the gun the instant she saw her husband at the door of Merritt's car.
The defense called four witnesses who all called Tudor's reputation "good." They were Dr. A. J. Murphy, Winthrop veterinarian; Mrs. Amanda Harrington, wife of the Winthrop newspaper publisher; I. L. Hand, Winthrop implement dealer, and George Brubaker, Winthrop postmaster.
A fifth character witness was heard Tuesday afternoon for the defense. Harrison Mast, who operates an implement shop in WInthrop where Tudor is currently employed, said of Tudor's reputation that it was 'good."
A jury of five women and seven men will be called on to return verdicts either of second degree murder or manslaughter or absolve Tudor of criminal guilt in the incident.
Defense attorneys are Robert Carson, Independence, and Paul Kildee, of Waterloo. Prosecutors Louis Beecher of Waterloo and William Klotzbach, Buchanan county attorney, rested the state's case Thursday.
-- The Des Moines Register; Des Moines, Iowa; Friday, April 20, 1956; Page 4 (Newspapers.com)
DISMISS JURY IN TUDOR CASE
INDEPENDENCE, IA (AP) -- The jury in the Charles Tudor second degree murder trial was discharged early Thursday after the foreman reported that it was hopelessly deadlocked.
The case went to the jury at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday and District Judge Blair Wood discharged the jurors at 3 a.m. Thursday. He set retrial of the case for the September term of court here.
Tudor, 27, Winthrop mechanic, was tried for the fatal shooting of Gordon Merritt, 32, Walker, early the morning of Jan. 4.
Merritt was shot as he sat in his parked car with Mrs. Tudor in front of the Tudor residence. She was his former wife. Merritt had picked her up about 10:30 a.m. Jan. 3 for a business trip to Cedar Rapids.
Mrs. Tudor testified Merritt spent the day stopping in taverns in various towns and never made the Cedar Rapids business stop.
Tudor testified Merritt was shot accidentally. He said his old revolver discharged when Mrs. Tudor grabbed the cylinder after he opened the door of the parked car. The state contended the shooting was deliberate and that Mrs. Tudor merely threw up her hands to protect herself.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE - Quad-City Times; Davenport, Iowa; Friday, September 21, 1956; Page 29 (Newspapers.com):
Iowan Gets Parole In Slaying Case
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (UP) -- Charles Tudor, 27, Winthrop, Thursday received a bench parole from an eight year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the killing of a Walker, Iowa, man last January.
Tudor's attorneys met with District Court Judge Blair Wood Thursday and agreed to the lesser charge of manslaughter. Tudor had been tried for second degree murder in April but the jury failed to reach a decision.
The meeting between Wood, Tudor's attorneys and Buchanan County Atty. William Klotzbach came before a new trial could be scheduled.
Tudor had been charged with killing Gordon Merritt, Walker, while Merritt was sitting in a car in front of Tudor's house with Tudor's wife Marie. Mrs. Tudor was divorced from Merritt.
Wood sentenced Tudor to eight years in the Anamosa Reformatory and then issued a bench parole and fined him $500 and court costs.
He told Tudor, who became the father of a baby girl last month "he had learned his lesson through the long deliberations since the shooting.
| Last Edited | 30 March 2021 00:00:00 |
| Pedigree Link |
| Last Edited | 30 March 2021 00:00:00 |
| Father | Andrew White Merritt (b. 6 May 1903, d. September 1972) |
| Mother | Eleanor M. Brunen (b. 6 December 1903, d. 8 May 1997) |
| Pedigree Link |
| Son | Gordon Lee Merritt+ (b. 30 March 1944, d. 6 February 2011) |
| Son | Ronald Dee Merritt+ (b. 21 January 1947, d. 10 August 1995) |
| Son | Raymond Dean Merritt+ (b. 21 January 1947, d. 17 March 2007) |
The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Wednesday, 04 Jan 1956; Page 1; (Newspapers.com)
WIFE TELLS OF SLAYING EVENTS
Walker Man Shot in Car At Winthrop
Husband Kills Former Mate of his Wife, Surrenders
WINTHROP -- Gordon Merritt, 32, of Walker was shot and killed by his former wife's husband, Charles Tudor, 27, of Winthrop, about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, Buchanan County Sheriff Emory Hart said.
Hart said Merritt, a purple Heart veteran of World War II, was shot between the eyes while sitting with Mrs. Tudor in a car in front of the Tudor residence on highway 20 here.
Mrs. Tudor's Account.
Mrs. Tudor was taken to Cedar Rapids early Wednesday by a brother, Floyd Dye, and was in a state near collapse at his home at 2018 Third street SW.
She told a Gazette reporter that she and Merritt drove to Cedar Rapids Tuesday afternoon to see about income tax deductions for their three children. Enroute home they had a flat tire at Marion, stopped at Waubeck to visit Merritt's uncle and ate dinner in a Central City cafe.
She said she didn't see her husband at the time of the shooting until he opened the door on her side of the car.
Sheriff Hart said Tudor fired once through the door with a .22 caliber target pistol.
Goes to Neighbor.
Tudor then went to the home of a neighbor, Lorus Heffernan to call the sheriff.
Buchanan County Attorney William G. Klotzbach said Wednesday afternoon that Tudor was talking to an attorney at the Buchanan county jail. Klotzbach said he would not file a charge until after Tudor was through conferring with the attorney.
Tudor told the sheriff that when Merritt drove up in front of the house he decided to "scare him away: with the pistol. The gun fires soft hollow-node bullets.
Marie Tudor, a slim attractive 28-year-old brunette, was being cared for at her brother's home by her mother, Mrs. Ruth Dye, 844 Seventh avenue SE.
Apparently numbed by the shock of her former husband's death, she was resting on the sofa in her brother's house while her three sons -- Gordon, 11, and Raymond and Ronald, 9 -- played outdoors.
Scarcely Spoken
Mrs. Dye said she first knew of the shooting about 6 o'clock when Mr. Dye and Marie drove up to her home. Floyd took his sister and her three children to Cedar Rapids after being summoned to Winthrop sometime during the night.
She said Marie has scarcely spoken to her since that time.
In a brief and broken explanation of what happened prior to the shooting, Mrs. Tudor said she and Merritt went to Cedar Rapids sometime Tuesday afternoon to see about income tax papers because he was claiming the children as dependents.
After that, she said, they drove to Marion, where they had a flat tire.
After getting the tire fixed, they went to Waubeek where they visited for some time with an uncle of Merritt's. Bill Brunen. They stopped in a Central City cafe to eat supper before going home, she said.
Christmas Visit.
Merritt had not been to the Tudor home in Winthrop previously except on Christmas eve when he made a brief visit, Mrs. Tudor said. At that time he came to see the children, but wouldn't come in the house, she said.
She said she didn't think her husband was jealous of Merritt and that he had no objection to her ex-husband's visiting the children No arrangements for visits had been made, she said.
Mrs. Tudor's mother said Marie and her husband were happy together and that she knew of no difficulty between them. She described Tudor as the "sweetest, kindest person I ever knew."
Mrs. Tudor's father, William Dye, lives in Center Point. Her parents are divorced. Mrs. Tudor lived in Cedar Point for a time after her divorce from Merritt.
The Tudors had lived in Winthrop since their marriage in July last year.
Merritts Wed in 1943.
Marie and Gordon Merritt, who were married Jan. 26, 1943, in Cedar Rapids, were divorced on Aug. 31, 1954. Marie was the plaintiff in the divorce case, claiming cruel and inhuman treatment. She was awarded custody of their three children.
Prior to their divorce, the Merritts lived in Walker where Merritt was employed as a carpenter and Mrs. Merritt was employed in a tavern.
At the same time, Charles Tudor worked in the Henry Smith garage at Walker.
Following her divorce, Marie Merritt moved to Center point where she was employed at the Point Inn. Merritt went to Center Point and then to Coggon. He later returned to Walker.
Tudor Also Divorced.
Charles Tudor, who is employed by the John Deere Company in Waterloo, was first married Sept. 1, 1951, in Buchanan county. A divorce decree was granted Jan. 5, 1954. He had one daughter by his first marriage who is now living with her mother in California.
Tudor was the plaintiff in his divorce case and charged cruel and inhuman treatment.
Tudor is the son of Mrs. Frank Ball of Bremer.
Merritt was born Aug. 26, 1923, in Marion, the son of Andrew and Eleanor Merritt, now of Walker.
During World war II he served with the first marine division in the Pacific and was awarded a Purple Heart medal.
In addition to his parents and three sons, he is survived by two sisters, Mrs. W. T. Henderson, Coggon, and Mrs. Homer Krichner, Chicago, and three brothers, Harold, Paul and James, all of Walker.
Funeral services will be held Friday at 2 p.m. in the United church, Walker. Burial will be in the Walker cemetery. Friends may call at the Sarchett-Murdoch funeral home, Walker, after noon Thursday.
NOTE: The Gazette printed a correction in an article January 5, 1956:
"The Gazette erroneously reported that she [Mrs. Tudor] was employed by the Point Inn while in Center Point. She was never employed there."
| Last Edited | 30 March 2021 00:00:00 |
| Pedigree Link |
| Son | Gordon Ray Merritt+ (b. 26 August 1923, d. 4 January 1956) |
| Last Edited | 31 March 2019 00:00:00 |
| Pedigree Link |
| Son | Gordon Ray Merritt+ (b. 26 August 1923, d. 4 January 1956) |
| Last Edited | 31 March 2019 00:00:00 |