Obit: Groneveldt, Julius (1885 – 1954)
Poster: Stan

Surnames: Groneveldt, Purkis, Hebert, Pabiniak, Hildensperger, Steffen, Burek, Will, Kesy, Sippl, Polzer, Schall

Source: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) Thursday, 04/01/1954

Groneveldt, Julius (1885 – 27 Mar. 1954)

Julius Groneveldt, age 69, a resident of Unity for the past year, died of injuries received when he was struck by a car when he was crossing Highway 13 in Unity at about 10:45 A.M. Saturday.

Groneveldt was carried on the fender of the northbound car for a distance of about 50 feet. The car swerved at that point, struck a post, and flung the pedestrian to the street. Mrs. Leo Hebert, also of Unity, who was crossing the street with Groneveldt, escaped injury.

Delbert Purkis of Unity, age 13, who was standing only a few feet from Groneveldt when the accident happened, told Marathon county traffic police that Pabiniak’s car started to skid several feet south of where Groneveldt was standing. According to the boy, the auto narrowly missed another pedestrian and then struck Groneveldt who made an unsuccessful attempt to jump back.

Thadeusz Pabiniak of Rockford,, Ill., was the driver of the car which struck Groneveldt.

A Colby physician was summoned to the scene and declared Groneveldt died shortly after being struck. He suffered a skull fracture and fractured left arm and leg.

John W. Hildensperger, Marathon county coroner, impaneled a jury Monday to make an investigation at the scene. Jury members were Elmer Steffen, Thomas Burek, Emil Will, Edward Kesy, Elmer Sippl, Ray Polzer, all of Wausau.

The body was taken to the Lulloff Funeral Home in Colby where it reposed until Wednesday afternoon when funeral services were held at the Methodist church in Unity, Rev. Harvey Schall officiating, and internment was made in the Town Brighton cemetery.

Surviving Mr. Groneveldt besides his wife are three sons, Vernis of Chicago and Milford and Arthur of Los Angeles, Calif. Another son, Pfc. Arnold Groneveldt, age 22, was killed on August 5, 1953, when he stepped on a land mine in Korea while serving with a surveying squad on truce territory.

The Groneveldts moved to Unity from Chicago about a year ago.