Person:Leo Tayek (1)

Large Crowd Attends Rites of Leo Tayek

Monona citizens and persons from surrounding communities filled St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran church Wednesday afternoon to pay tribute to the late Leo Tayek, 21, who died in a drowning accident Sunday afternoon. It is estimated that approximately one thousand persons attended the funeral services conducted by the Rev. H.M. Adix of Farmersburg.

Leo Tayek was born in Giard township Nov. 2, 1918, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Tayek. He grew up on his parent’s farm and became a member of St. John’s Ev. Lutheran church in 1938. He was married to Elva Lee Walters Aug. 26.

Leaves Wife

He is survived by his wife, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Tayek, one brother, Donald, a niece, Maxine, a nephew, Roger, and his grandfather, Antone Tayek.

Pallbearers were: Harvey Montour, Cletus Hoffman, Don Steva, Marion Blutz, Kenneth Schneider, Don Schofield, Harold Lestina and Fred Weideman.

Flower girls were: Rosemary Whittle, Shirley Ellenbolt, Mary Margaret Hogan, Eileen Kazieka, Valera Connor, Mrs. Harvey Montour, Marie Moses, Margaret Sass, Florence Tayek, Martina Broderick and Donna Mae Collins.

Burial was in the city cemetery.

Thrown Into River

The drowning occurred Sunday afternoon at 3:10 o’clock in the Mississippi river near Waukon Junction as Tayek and Kenneth Schneider were taking a motor boat trip on the river after having returned from a fishing trip at 1:30. He was riding on the bow of the boat and accidentally rocked the boat, causing him to be thrown into the river.

After Tayek fell into the water, Fred Lenstra, an employee of the Northwestern Bell Telephone company of Oelwein, dove into the water to rescue him. He failed to contact the body. O.E. Nipper and son, who operate a tavern in that vicinity, secured grappling hooks and dragged the river bottom near where young Tayek went down. In 22 minutes, the body was recovered.

Inhalator Used

Kermit Klinge and G.W. Crain of the Monona fire department rushed to the scene with an inhalator to resuscitate Tayek. Lenstra and Klinge applied artificial respiration and Crain the inhalator for two hours in an attempt to revive him. Charles Boyden, Allamakee county coroner, then pronounced the victim dead.

Kenneth Snyder [sic], his partner on the fishing trip, was so upset by the accident that he suffered a nervous collapse and required the administering of opiates. He was in such a state of physical collapse after the drowning that he could not be questioned. The drowning occurred about 50 feet out in the river from the ice house at Waukon Junction. The water at that point is seven to ten feet deep. The two men had rented a boat from the Wines livery for a day of fishing. They had no fish in the boat when it was brought to shore.

Falls From Boat

Kenneth Schneider, Tayek’s companion in the boat, related in the investigation conducted by Cororner Boyden that Tayek, “went to wave at the people on the shore and fell overboard.” He said Tayek seemed to tread water for a few seconds and then disappeared and that by the time he had turned the boat, Tayek was under the surface of the water and failed to appear again.

Schneider told of the efforts of Lenstra, who was swimming in the river nearby, to dive and try to rescue Tayek. Then, he reported, three boats came out almost immediately. He said that he and Tayek went out fishing at 6:30 Sunday morning and fished until about 1:30.

To Move on Farm

Donald Tayek, brother of the drowned man, told how he arrived at the shore and saw his brother pitched into the river.

Tayek and his wife were to move this week onto a farm owned by his father. The move into the new home, which had been remodeled, was to have been made Tuesday.

Two years ago, Tayek and his brother had been rescued from drowning. Two other fatalities occurred in the Mississippi river near Waukon this year, when Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Schneff of Waukon were drowned early in July.

Hold Services Leo Tayek

Mr. Leo Franklin Tayek, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Tayek, was born Nov. 2, 1918, in Giard township.

After a course of adult instruction, he was received into membership with St. Paul’s Lutheran church of Monona by the solemn rite of baptism and confirmation Jan. 30, 1938.

On Aug. 26, 1940, he was united in marriage to Miss Elva Lea Walters by Rev. H.W. Siefkes.

His youth and young manhood was spent in the paternal home. Together with his wife, he had planned to move to a farm on which considerable time and effort had been spent. “Man proposes and God disposes.”

On Sunday afternoon, Oct. 13, he fell from the boat in which he was riding, and although his body was quickly recovered and pulmotors rushed to the scene with valiant efforts made to revive life, all attempts failed. “Lord teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

He reached the age of 21 years, 11 months and 11 days.

He leaves to mourn his wife, Mrs. Elva Lea Tayek, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Tayek, his brother Donald and sister-in-law, his niece Maxine and nephew Roger, his grandfather, Mr. Antone Tayek, father and mother-in-law Mr. and Mrs. Lowell Walters and brother-in-law Eldo Walters; also a host of other relatives and friends.

Funeral services were held at St. Paul’s Lutheran church, with Rev. H.A. Adix of Farmersburg officiating in the absence of the local pastor. Interment was made in the city cemetery.

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From the October 18, 1940, edition of the Oelwein (IA) Daily Register

Fred Lenstra At Scene Of Drowning

Fred Lenstra, manager of the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company of this city, witnessed a drowning accident near Waukon Junction Sunday while he was on a hunting trip. Mr. Lenstra was standing on the shore as the victim went down and he immediately jumped into the river in a futile attempt to rescue the victim.

The Waukon Republican gave the following account of the tragedy:

Leo Tayek, 21, of Monona was drowned Sunday afternoon in the Mississippi River near Waukon Junction as he was returning from a fishing trip with Kenneth Schneider, also of Monona. The two men had been out since morning. As they neared shore, Tayek is said to have stood up on the bow of the motor-driven rowboat to wave at his older brother on shore. As he stood on the bow of the boat, he is said to have rocked the craft, causing it to tip in such a manner that he was thrown into the river.

After Tayek fell into the water, Fred Lenstra, an employee of the Northwestern Bell Telephone company at Oelwein, dove into the river to rescue him. He failed to contact the body. Lenstra formerly was the manager for the telephone company in Waukon. O.E. Nipper and son, who operate a tavern in that vicinity, secured grappling hooks and dragged the river bottom where young Tayek went down. In 22 minutes, the body was recovered.

Although efforts at resuscitation were continued for an hour and a half, there was no evidence of reviving life and Charles Boyden, coroner, pronounced the river victim dead.

The body was taken to Monona, where Tayek lived on a farm with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Tayek, his wife and brother. Tayek was married Aug. 26 last to Miss Alva Lee Walters of Rossville. The couple had been living since then at the home of his parents near Monona.

Kenneth Schneider, his partner on the fishing trip, was so upset by the accident that he suffered a nervous collapse and required the administering of opiates. He was in such a state of physical collapse after the drowning that he could not be questioned. The drowning occurred about 50 feet out in the river from the ice house at Waukon Junction. The water at that point is from seven to 10 feet deep. The two men had rented a boat from the Wines livery for a day of fishing. They had no fish in the boat when he was brought to shore.

Leo Tayek is survived by his parents, one brother and his wife.

Tayek's drowning was the third this year at Waukon Junction, all three within a range of a half mile on the Mississippi river. The other two drowned were Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Senneff of this city.

Kenneth Schneider, Tayek's companion in the boat, related in the investigation conducted by Coroner Charles Boyden that Tayek "went to wave at the people on shore and fell overboard." He said Tayek seemed to tread water for a few seconds and then disappeared and that by the time he had turned the boat Tayek was under the surface of the water and failed to appear again.

Schneider told of the efforts of Lenstra, who stood on the shore, to dive and try to rescue Tayek. Then he reported that three boats came out almost immediately. He said that he and Tayek went out fishing at 6:30 Sunday morning and fished until 1:30 pm.

Donald Tayek, brother of the drowned man, told how he had stood on shore and witnessed the drowning. He said the outboard motor boat was going in a circle at high speed, that it hit the waves it had made as it doubled back. He saw the boat rocking back and forth and turned to the right at which time his brother was pitched out of the boat.

G.W. Crain of Monona fire department told how he had been called to come to the scene with an inhalator at about 3:30 in the afternoon. Arriving at 4:05 pm, he said they worked on Tayek's body with the inhalator until 5:35 but to no avail.

Tayek and his wife were to move this week onto a farm owned by his father. The moved into the new home, which had been remodeled, was to have been made Tuesday.

Tayek had been rescued two years ago from drowning, it is said, and also had met with another tragedy when he was accidentally shot in his left side by a shotgun.

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From the October 16, 1940, edition of the Postville (IA) Herald

Nephew of Mrs. Kozelka Drowns Sunday Afternoon

Leo Tayek, 21, of Monona, who was drowned Sunday afternoon in the Mississippi River near Waukon Junction was a nephew of Mrs. Wm. Kozelka of Postville. Tayek fell from a motor boat operated by Kenneth Schneider of Monona in the same vicinity of the drowning of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Senneff of Waukon on July 4.

Funeral services were conducted this afternoon in Monona. He is survived by his bride of six weeks, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Tayek of near Monona and a brother, Donald.