Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 19, Number 21, DeMotte, Jasper County, 22 April 1949 — Farmer Killed When Truck Bed Falls On Him [ARTICLE]

Farmer Killed When Truck Bed Falls On Him

Harry Becker of Gillam township, 45, married and the father of several children, was injured fatally Wednesday forenoon when thte bed of a gravel truck fell on him while he was beneath it to investigate whey the hoist would not operate. He was crushed about the chest and shoulders and died almost instantly. There wsfs one eyewitness to the tragedy, whose name was not available at the time we received the report from Sheriff William Webb. Sheriff "Webb learned Wednesday that Mr. Becker had taken a load of cement sand from his home six miles southeast of Wheatfield in Gillam township, to a farm two and one-half miles northeast of Wheatfield. He had unloaded the sand and when the hoist failed to bring the bed down, he crawled beneath the upraised bed to determine why the hoist would not operate. The power takeoff suddenly set the hoist in motion, releasing the bed which fell on the unfortunate man before he could move from his perilous position. The prominent and highly respected farmer was born in Chicago February 7, 1902, the son of Carl Becker and Emma (Gumpel) Becker, and continued to reside there uptil seven years dgo when he and his family moved to this county to occupy a farm in Gillam township. He was married to Miss Elizabeth Schmidt at Crown Point, Indiana, June 18, 1924. The immediate survivors are the widow, two sons, Robert and Gene Becker, residing at the parental home; one grandson, the mother, Mrs. Carl Becker of Chicago; and two brothers and one sister, Carl Becker, Fred Becker and Mrs. Helen Johnson, all of Chicago. The tragedy came as a great shock to Mr. Becker’s many friends in Jasper county and Chicago. He was an exemplary citizen, industrious and kind and generous. He in every way represented good citizenship and his sudden death at a comparatively early age came as an extreme shock to many. The funeral services will be conducteed from Todd’s Funeral Home at 2 o’clock Saturday afternoon, with the Rev. G. E. Morse oxiciating. The remains will be cremated.