Obituaries (August 24)

Carrie Lynn Parker
1874 - 1940

Mrs. Carrie Lynn Parker, 65 years old, widow of the late Ray Parker, died Tuesday night at her home in Bainbridge [Chenango Co., NY].  She is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Ralph Royder of Schenectady; a son, Kenneth L. Parker of Hancock and a granddaughter, Francelia Royder of Schenectady.  The body was removed to the chapel of Colwell Bros., Bainbridge, where the funeral will be held at 1:30 o'clock (E.S.T.) Friday afternoon.  Burial will be in Riverview Cemetery, Oxford [Chenango Co., NY].

 

Thomas J. Rice

1888 - 1939

Thomas J. Rice, proprietor of Rice's Restaurant, died in the Chenango Memorial Hospital [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY] early Monday afternoon, following an operation performed the preceding Saturday for gastric ulcers.  Mr. Rice had been in ill health for more than a year, but his condition was not considered too serious until he suffered hemorrhages of the stomach a few weeks ago.  He was immediately removed to the Norwich hospital where X-Rays showed a gall bladder trouble, together with ulcers.  His heart had also been weak for several months.  He withstood the operation Saturday fairly well, but his heart condition immediately grew worse, resulting in the end Monday.  Thomas Rice was born August 7, 1888, in Connecticut.  He was the son of Thomas and Eva Williams Rice and came to Oxford [Chenango Co., NY] when a youth where he has spent the remainder of his life.  He was employed in the basket factory when a young man and later went into the employ of the Borden Company and for many years was barn inspector in this section.  Twelve years ago he purchased the lunch cart on Lafayette Park which he later expanded into a small restaurant, building up a substantial business.  Mr. Rice was a baseball enthusiast and in his youth and young manhood displayed a natural ability which today would undoubtedly lead to big league playing.  For many years he played on Oxford teams, both in the outfield and in the infield and captained the local nine.  He was an especially dangerous man at bat and is credited with winning more ball games for Oxford than any man who ever wore a local uniform.  He never went into  a game without fighting every minute to win and using every strategy at his command to achieve that result.  He married Miss Ellen Berdanier who survives him together with two children, Mrs. Lewis Whitney, of Cortland, and Thomas, Jr., of Oxford.  Funeral services will be held this Thursday morning at 1 o'clock in St. Joseph's church with the Rev. Denis F. Lyons officiating.  Burial will be in Riverview cemetery [Oxford, NY].

 

William Donald Burchard

1899 - 1939

William Donald Burchard, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert S. Burchard, died in the Binghamton City Hospital [Broome Co., NY], Tuesday evening, Feb. 28, at 7:50.  Mr. Burchard was taken seriously ill Wednesday, Feb. 1, when he suffered an abdominal hemorrhage.  He was removed to the hospital, Saturday, Feb. 4, for treatment and on Feb. 14 he underwent an operation for gastric ulcers.  He reacted favorably from this operation for several days, but last Sunday it was found necessary to perform an emergency operation from which he did not recover.  Mr. Burchard was born in Oxford [Chenango Co., NY], June 6, 1899, the son of Albert S. and Mary Van DerLyn Burchard.  He attended Oxford Academy and twenty years ago started work in the Burchard Hardware in which he later became associated with his father and his brother, Van D. Burchard.  His entire life was spent in this community to which he was especially loyal, and he made many friends through his countless acts of courtesy and good will.  He has been a communicant of St. Paul's church for 25 years, a member of the Chamber of Commerce for several years and was a former member of the Sappho Hose Company.  Surviving, in addition to his parents, are two brothers, Van D. and A. Stanley, of Oxford; two sisters, Miss Helen Burchard, of Oxford, and Miss Mildred Burchard of Elmira; a niece, Miss Prudence Burchard and a nephew, Albert Stanley, Jr.  A private service will be held at the Burchard home on Washington Park, Friday afternoon at 3 o'clock followed by services in St. Paul's church at 3:30. The Rev. James E. Mahagan, new rector of the church, will officiate and burial will be made in the Burchard plot in Riverview cemetery.  The bearers will be Herbert Scarlett, John Eckard, Vincent Beckwith, Floyd Cronk, Kenneth Race, Mark Lally, and Lynn Loomis, of Oxford, and Henry Harrignton, of Binghamton.

 

Raymond Cooper

1918 - 1939

Raymond Cooper, aged 21 years, son of Mr. and Mrs. Theron R. Cooper, was fatally injured Sunday morning at 2:30, when the motorcycle he was riding was hit by an automobile near the Woods Corners intersection on the Norwich-North Norwich highway [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY].  Albert Winters, who was riding with Cooper, was thrown off the machine and escaped serious injury.  Cooper stayed with his motorcycle, trying to right it, but failed.  he went off the road and crashed into a tree by the side of the pavement, receiving a fracture of the skull and internal injuries form which he died at 11:30 that day. 

 

Jay Austin, 33, and Axel Benson, 61, both of New Berlin were arrested by deputies from the sheriff's office following the accident.  Austin was accused of criminal negligence to the operation of a motor vehicle resulting in death to a person and Benson, owner of the car, was charged with third degree assault, a section of the law defined as causing bodily injury in the negligent operation of an automobile.  Benson was arraigned before justice Hubert Evans of the town of Norwich, Monday morning, pled guilty and was fined $15 and given 90 days in the county jail.  The jail sentence was suspended on the stipulation that the fine be paid by June 17.  Austin, charged with being the driver of the car which was at fault in the accident, was granted a postponement of arraignment Monday so he might have an opportunity to obtain legal advice. When taken into custody neither man had an automobile or drivers license, but Benson stated he had both licenses at his home.  Undersheriff Frank J. Machio, who investigated the accident, declared that according to eye witnesses, Benson and Austin were driving north and when they were about 50 feet from the intersection, their car lights suddenly flashed on.  Cooper and Winter5s were proceeding in the opposite direction.  They say the oncoming car which was on the extreme left side of the road, leaving no room to pass them on the legal side.  Cooper swung to the right to get by and at the same time the car turned right into the intersecting highway.  The right front fender of the car struck the right side of the motorcycle, throwing Winters to the pavement and down the embankment along side of the road. Cooper went through the guard rail and into the tree.  The car never stopped.  following the Cooper motorcycle were two other motor cycles, all in the same party.  Directly back of him were Howard Hudson, 32, of Homer, and Miss Ann Shufelt of Cortland, and in the third machine were Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bodine of Cortland.  When the automobile which struck the motorcycle failed to stop, one of the men on the other machine started after it, catching up at the D.L.&W. railroad crossing near the Sheffield milk plant at Woods Corners, where it had stopped on account of a flat tire. The car was held there until the arrival of the sheriff.  Cooper and Winters were rushed to the Chenango Memorial Hospital where it was learned that Raymond had suffered a fractured skull, but that Winters had escaped serious injury.  An autopsy performed at the hospital following the boy's death showed a hemorrhage of the brain from the skull fracture, also internal injuries.

 

Raymond Blanchard Cooper was born at Amsterdam, February, 3, 1918, the son of Theron R. and Clare C. Carrie Cooper.  he came to Oxford with his parents about 12 years ago where he attended Oxford Academy, graduating with the class of 1935.  He has assisted his father in the clothing store since graduation.  He was a member of the Oxford Baptist church and up until 1937 had been active in the Oxford Boy Scout troop, advancing to the position of assistant scoutmaster with a life Scout rank.  Besides his parents, he is survived by two brothers, Philip and Theron, Jr. and three sisters, Laura, Grace and Janice.  Funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon at the Seymour Funeral Home at 2 o'clock with the Rev. F.L. Anderson, pastor of the Baptist church, officiating.  Burial was made in Riverview cemetery [Oxford, NY].  The bearers were:  Dwight Baldwin, Lynn Loomis, Harry Oliver, Frederick Anderson, Leonard Tefft and Paul winters.