2-Car Collision Fatal to 6

HOAMBRECKER, BOWLYOW, RICH, NICHOLSON

Posted By: Deb (email)
Date: 3/16/2014 at 09:53:21

Death Notice, The Hawk Eye, August 18, 1980; Burlington, Iowa:

2-Car Collision Fatal to 6

Pekin (IA) -- Six persons died in a two-car crash in Keokuk county about 8:45 p.m. Sunday, the Iowa State Patrol said.

Those killed in one of the cars in the collision 60 miles northwest of Burlington were three Hawk Eyelanders - Mrs. Marguerite M. Hoambrecker, 69, of 625 South Garfield; her brother-in-law and sister, Gail F. Bowlyow, 63, and Betty Bowlyow, 55, Lomax, Illinois - and the Bowlyows' grandson, Kent Alan Bowlyow, 12, Takoma Park, Maryland, who was spending the summer with them.

Authorities said Mrs. Hoambrecker and the Bowlyows were thrown from the car and were dead at the scene.

Charlene Rich, 21, Washington, died in Keokuk County hospital at Sigourney; Pamela Jean Nicholson, 25, Washington, died at University hospitals, Iowa City, where she had been taken by air ambulance. Both Washington women had to be pried from their auto by the Keokuk county rescue unit's "Jaws of Life" tool.

The accident was the worst in Keokuk county since the mid-1950s, when eight members of the Richard Hammes family perished near Sigourney.

Officials said the Washingtonians' northbound car apparently failed to halt at a stop sign at Iowa 78 and a county road just north of Pekin and collided with the Bowlyow vehicle.

They were unable to determine whether Mr. or Mrs. Bowlyow was driving the Illinois vehicle, but assumed Mrs. Bowlyow was because, relatives reported, she usually did.