son of Ignaz Eisenbacher and Thekla Simon

A coroner’s jury returned a verdict of “unavoidable accident” in the Saturday night highway death of John A. Eisenbacher, 43 year old Wesley farm hand, Monday night at an inquest in the rear of the Wesley bank building.

The jury, which was composed of Lester Lease, Chuck, Mullin and LeRoy Kleinpeter, heard nine witnesses during the evening, and then reached its verdict, clearing Raymond Otis, 47, of any charges in the death of Eisenbacher.

Eisenbacher was killed about midnight Saturday night when he stepped into the path of the Otis machine a few hundred feet north of Wesley on old Highway 18.

Otis was traveling north and Eisenbacher was walking north to his home, after spending the evening at Wesley. According to Otis, Eisenbacher stepped in front of his machine. Eisenbacher lived for only a few minutes after the accident.

Otis lives on a farm east of Wesley, and in the past, Eisenbacher had worked for him several times.

Otis said he was traveling between 20 and 25 miles per hour, according to Sheriff Ralph Lindhorst, who with Patrolman Ed Dickinson, investigated the accident.

Funeral services for Eisenbacher were held Tuesday morning at 9 o’clock at the St. Joseph’s Catholic church at Wesley, with Father Linus Eisenbacher, brother of the deceased, as celebrant at requiem high mass.

Pallbearers were Edmund Otis, Urban Lickteig, Tony Brown, John Smith, Milton Bebo, and Robert Matz. Burial was at Wesley and the Hamilton funeral home of Algona was in charge of arrangements.

Eisenbacher was born March 20, 1910, and attended parochial school at Wesley. He had been helping with farm work at his parents’’ farm and other farm homes since that time.

He was preceded in death by his father, Ignatius, a year ago, and a brother, Sylvester, who died in 1921.

Besides his mother, Mrs. Thekla Eisenbacher, the following brothers and sisters survive: Mrs. Richard (Rosina) Hammond, Racine, Wis.; Father Linus Eisenbacher and Roman, both of Armstrong; Mrs. Ben (Jane) Faurot, Los Angeles, Calif.’ Mrs. Jake (Thecla) Strouth, Reading, Minn.; Mrs. Gerald (Ruth) Strouth, Reading, Minn.; Mrs. Charles (Cecelia) Nelson, Wesley; Mrs. Joe (Flavia) Studer, Wesley; Mrs. Norbert (Felice) Hilbert, of Wesley; Vincent, Wesley; Mrs. Clarence (Lucille) Nelson, Wesley; Ed and Joe at home. (Kossuth County Advance, Algona, IA, May 12, 1953)