BEN PHILLIPS
Four miles northwest of Beaver Creek, Minnesota
Age 60

Funeral Services, August 7, 1948
1:00 PM Johnson Funeral Home
2:00 PM Our Savior's Lutheran Church
Luverne, Minnesota
Clergyman Rev. J. O. Mundahl

Bearers
John Carlson ~ Warren Scott
Oscar Johnson ~ Elmer Schafer
Earnest Peterson ~ Kenneth Scott

Emil "Ben" Phillips was born on February 24, 1891 to Peder and Lena Phillips on the family homestead near Valley Springs, SD. There he attended school and grew to manhood.

Ben married Rosie Roen, November 25, 1936, in Luverne. To this union a son, Donald Phillips, was born September 4, 1942.

Ben leaves his widow; their five-year-old son; five brothers, Nead and Ruben, Garretson, Peder and George, Valley Springs, Louis, Kirkland, Washington; and three sisters, Hilda, Garretson, Iva (Herman) Nelson and Ferne (Fred) Witt, both of Sioux Falls.

TRACTOR SPILL KILLS MAN AT BEAVER CREEK

Ben Phillips, Beaver Creek township farmer, was crushed to death under his tractor, Tuesday evening. He had taken a shortcut across a field.

Although the accident is believed to have happened shortly before 6 PM, the body of the farmer was not discovered until about 11 PM by Ruben Phillips, brother of the deceased. It was near the Garretson, SD, farm operated by Ruben that the accident occurred.

Ben Phillips farmed the John Alink farm located two miles north and a mile west of Beaver Creek. The farm operated by Ruben and owned by Halvor Jordahl is located about a mile and a half northwest of the Palisade church and adjoins the Donald Edmundson farm.

Ruben was haying and Ben had sent two men over to help and then came himself with the tractor in the afternoon. He helped with the haying and then started home about 6 PM. His wife thought it odd that he hadn't returned in time for the evening meal but she thought that he might have stayed to help with the chores. About 10:30 PM she became even more alarmed and started out to hunt for him. She drove to the farm of her brother-in-law. Ruben went out ahead of the other searchers and found the body beneath the overturned tractor which was lying with its wheels in the air. The accident happened on the unimproved road between the Edmundson and Phillips farms.

He then went to the Edmundson farm to ask them to phone for Sheriff Roberts and Coroner J. S. Burleigh.

If it hadn't been for the fact that the area there had received an unusually heavy shower the body would have been found earlier. Edmundson had planned to go over to the Ruben Phillips place shortly after 6 but the fields were so muddy he decided not to make the trip.

Smith's ambulance was unable to go down the road to bring back the body. Edmundson hitched his tractor to a two wheel light trailer and loaded in the sheriff, the doctor and neighbors. They went out and lifted up the tractor and loaded the body into the trailer and brought it back to the Edmundson farm where it was transferred to the waiting ambulance.

Death was instantaneous said Dr. Burleigh.

Neighbors believed that Phillips lost control of his tractor as he was descending the slippery hillside. The tractor jacknifed as the wheels spun sharply, the machine going up a sharp incline and then tipping over. Phillips was pitched to the ground and the tractor fell on him, crushing his head.