Ralph Eldon Moss
Born: August 14th, 1925
Died: June 22nd, 1961
Obituary
Accidental death was the ruling on Ralph Eldon Moss, 36, of 1722 Sunnyside, a mechanic who was killed at 8:09 p.m. Thursday while repairing a semi-trailer truck tandem unit. Dr. Robert D. Rowley, Des Moines county medical examiner, said "There was no evidence of criminal negligence" on the part of Michael Edward Lee 47, 721 Louisa, driver of the semitrailer truck. The mishap occurred on Main, just north of Locust. Rowley said Moss's head was crushed between a leaf spring and a rear bumper of the trailer as Lee drove the truck and trailer forward a short distance. The semitrailer unit was across from the Burlington City Bus Lines garage. Lee is a Burlington Truck Lines driver and works out of the Burlington terminal. He told this story of the accident to authorities: At 7:40 p.m. Thursday, Lee had trouble with the rear tandem unit of his semitrailer. He drove the vehicle over to the city bus garage where Moss had his headquarters. The rear tandem unit was found to be locked. After fixing the unit, there remained only a pin to be put into position. A pipe wrench was put on the pin to force it into its hole. Lee and Moss got out from under the trailer, where they had been working, and Lee went to the cab to move the vehicle. After Lee moved the vehicle, he went to the rear of trailer where he found Moss pinned under the left side between the end of a leaf spring and the bumper. His chest was against the wheels of the tandem unit. Dr. Rowley said that as the vehicle moved forward, the wheels unlocked and the weight of the truck forced the leaf spring to move against Moss. Services will be Monday at 2 p.m. at Wallen's Chapel. Burial will be in Aspen Grove cemetery. Ralph Eldon Moss was born at Greenfield, Ia. Aug. 14, 1925, the son of Francis E. and Artie Strauser Moss. On July 11, 1950, he married Rose Frenzer at Springfield, Ill. He was a member of Grace Methodist church and served with the US Air Force during World War II. Surviving are his wife; three children, Francis Joseph, 10, Deborah Ellaine, 8, and James Allan, 7, all at home; his father at Springfield, Ill.; three brothers, John F. Santa Clara, Calif., Leon l., Ft. Madison, Billie Dean, Miami Beach, Fla.; one sister, Kay Lynn Moss, Springfield, Il.