MORRISON, Albert G. 1885-1962

MORRISON, PATTON

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 2/9/2022 at 12:40:22

Morrison Man Dies In Stove Explosion

A 77-year-old Morrison man, Albert Grant "Bert" Morrison, died last Wednesday afternoon of burns suffered in an oil heater explosion and fire which gutted his home.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Ferree Funeral Home in Grundy Center, followed by burial in the Morrison cemetery.

An eyewitness, Adolph Folkerts, said Morrison "never had a chance."

Folkerts said he was standing across the street from the Morrison house and could see the elderly man standing on his front porch, his clothes enveloped in flames. Folkerts ran back into his own home, got a blanket, and hurried to the scene.

"He was still standing on the porch, in flames, when I got there," Folkerts continued.

Because flames were shooting out the door, blocking escape from the porch by the steps, Folkerts helped the elderly man off the porch by way of the west railing, wrapped him in the blanket and laid him on the ground a few feet from the burning house.

A physician was summoned immediately, but Morrison was already dead by the time the doctor arrived a few minutes later.

The Grundy Center and Reinbeck fire departments were called and prevented the blaze from spreading to nearby homes and business buildings.

The brick and frame residence's interior was completely gutted.

Harry Cooley, a longtime resident of Morrison, said the elderly man had mentioned twice that morning that his oil heater was not working properly and each time a neighbor had gone to look at it.

"The heater was going full blast and it was so hot a person could hardly stand to be inside the place," Cooley commented. "Bert was told to turn the heat down. But I guess because of his age, he was cold, and each time he turned the heat up."

There were no witnesses to the actual explosion, which occurred early in the afternoon.

Folkerts said the oil heater was located a few feet from the front door, in the kitchen of the two-room house.

"Whether he was in the kitchen or the bedroom, Bert had to walk past that heater to get out of the house," Folkerts remarked. "He had difficulty walking because of his age, so he never had a chance."

Folkerts said he would remember the incident the rest of his life...an old man in flames standing on his front porch...the pitiful barking of Bert's dog, trapped inside the house.

"It was horrible," he said, then walked quietly away.

Obituary
Albert Grant Morrison was born August 14, 1885, in Grundy county, the son of Leonard and Eva Morrison.

He was united in marriage to Maude Patton at Carthage, South Dakota, in June, 1920. The deceased was a mail carrier for a number of years at Carthage, and had been a resident of Morrison the past 20 years.

He is survived by three daughters, Mrs. Virgil (Ivadel) Braley of Huron, S.D., Mrs. Lee (Vera) Wall of Iroquois, S.D., and Mrs. Eugene (Altha) Crandall of Coldwell, Idaho.

Also surviving are one sister, Mrs. Floy Hood of Morrison, seven grandchildren, and several nephews and nieces.

He was preceded in death by wife and parents.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Ferree Funeral Home in Grundy Center, Rev. Earl Huebner of the Morrison Presbyterian church in charge. Burial was in the Morrison cemetery.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 1 November 1962, pg 1, 8