website
watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Louis E. Dornfeld
L. E. Dornfeld Rites Here Saturday
Services for Louis
E. Dornfeld, a lifelong resident of this area, will
be held at 2 o’clock on Saturday at the Noffz Funeral
Home. Pastor Henry Paustian
of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church will officiate.
Mr. Dornfeld died in his sleep Tuesday night at the home of his
son in Oak Park, Ill. He would have been
100 years old on the 12th of May.
He was the son of
Mr. and Mrs. Friedrick Dornfeld,
who were early settlers in the town of Lebanon.
In 1894 he married
Ida Behl of Lebanon.
She died in 1896. In 1898 he married
Emma Menke of Beaver Dam. She preceded him in death in 1957.
As a young man he
farmed the homestead in Lebanon and in 1897 he came to Watertown and built a
livery business in South First Street.
He loved horses and one of his fond memories was a race horse he owned
at that time. When the T.M.E.R. & L. street car line was built from
Milwaukee to Watertown, he took his team of horses and worked on the construction.
Drove Fire Vehicle
From 1912 to 1917 he
drove the Hook and Ladder for the North First
Street fire station. The care of his
horses was always a great concern and on the icy, wintry night of the Carl
Schurz home fire one of his horses took cold and the team needed to be
replaced.
When the mechanical
fire equipment was bought, he drove the bus for the Schulze Bus Line and later
he worked for the city of Watertown with the street maintenance department.
His home was at 217
Washington Street. He went to Oak Park,
Ill., in 1964 to live with his son’s family.
Lost Eyesight
His sight was
completely gone for many years but he had a keen interest in his radio and his
thinking was sharp and clear. He enjoyed
visiting with friends and always had quick wit.
He was a member of
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church and an honorary member of the Watertown Plattdeutscher Verein.
He is survived by
two daughters, Mrs. Walter (Verena) Neumann, Orlando,
Fla., Mrs. Max (Olive) Busjaeger, Evanston, Ill., and
two sons, Frederick of Brownsville, Tex., and Raymond of Oak Park, Ill. Eight grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren
survive, also a sister, Mrs. Anna Kronitz of
Wittenberg, Wis., and nieces and nephews.
During the past year
he mourned the death of his daughter, Mrs. Lucille McNamee and his grandson,
Mark Neumann, of Madison, who was killed in Vietnam.
Friends may call at
the Noffz Funeral Home this evening and on Saturday
until the time of the service.
Interment will be in
Oakwood Cemetery, Beaver Dam.
Cross References:
|
Dornfeld, Louis |
|
|
Dornfeld, Louis |
History of Watertown, Wisconsin