Obit: Grimes, John Joseph (1871 – 1954)
Poster: Stan

Surnames: Grimes, Schwartz, Kraus, Firnstahl, Baumgart, Steinwand, Beyerl, Apfelbeck, Young, Hoffman, Willette, Romanik, Schulz, Robertson

Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) Thursday, 11/18/1954

Grimes, John Joseph (25 May 1871 – 11 Dec. 1954)

Funeral services for John Joseph Grimes who passed away at Mount Sinai Hospital, Milwaukee, as was reported last week, were held Saturday morning in St. Mary’s Catholic church, Rev. Vincent Schwartz officiating, and internment was made in the Colby cemetery. Pall bearers were C. J. Kraus, I. M. Firnstahl, Otto Baumgart, A. M. Steinwand, L. M. Beyerl and Peter Apfelbeck.

The deceased was born on May 25, 1871, at Waumego, Kansas, thus reaching the age of 83 years, six months and 16 days. He moved to Colby at the age of three and spent the major part of his life in Colby, owning and operating the John J. Grimes Mercantile Store in the building now the A. F. Zillmer Co. Department Store. He was active in many civic and community projects and also served Colby as mayor. On August 19, 1897, he was married to Etta M. B. Young of Colby by Rev. S. A. Hoffman.

He was an active member of the I.O.O.F. for over 50 years and at the time of his death was a member of the Badger State Lodge No. 11. He served this lodge as treasurer for many years.

In 1920 Mr. and Mrs. Grimes left Colby for a planned two-year motoring tour which took them from coast to coast and from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Upon their return, they lived for a while on their farm at Clintonville which he later sold. They then moved to Milwaukee where, for 12 years, he worked as an apartment hotel manager after which he leased an apartment building containing 16 apartments on E. Kane Pl. for five years. In 1950, Mr. Grimes retired to care for his ailing wife who preceded him in death in July, 1953.

Surviving are many nieces and nephews – John P. Grimes and Eugene Willette of Kalamazoo, Mich., Walter Willette of Berlin, Mrs. Carl Romanik of Milwaukee and Edward Schulz of Wauwatosa.

Out of town people attending the services were John P. Grimes of Kalamazoo, Walter Willette of Berlin, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Romanik of Milwaukee, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Schulz and Mrs. R. ? Robertson and Richie and Kare? Of Wauwatosa, Mr. and Mrs. ? E. Schulz and Howard of Oxford.