Do you have newspaper obituary clippings tucked away in your files? While I usually save images of obituaries, my grandmother had the habit of clipping and preserving the originals. Today’s discovery is one of those treasured keepsakes.
The clipping is for Wilfred Francis Mentzer, son of John and Anna (Wells) Mentzer. Born in Woodson County, Kansas in 1903, Wilfred—often known as Fred—had relocated to Los Angeles County, California by 1930, where he would spend the rest of his life.
A brief obituary for Wilfred Mentzer appeared in the May 8, 1972 edition of The Los Angeles Times:
Mentzer, Wilfred F., 69 years, of Rosemead, loving husband of Clara, father of Mrs. Melba Bartlett of West Covina and Kenneth Mentzer of Canoga Park, 6 grandchildren, 1 brother and 5 sisters. Funeral services Tuesday, 2:30 p.m., Hillside Church. Rose Hills Memorial Park. Risher, Montebello Mortuary, directors.
The obituary saved by my grandmother is much longer and more detailed. It reads as though it was composed in California rather than Kansas, which raises an intriguing question: How did my grandmother come to have this more comprehensive version?
Below is a full transcription of the clipping she preserved.
Wilfred F. Mentzer Laid To Rest Tues.
Funeral services for Wilfred F. Mentzer were held Tuesday, May 9 at Hillside Church at 2:30 p.m. Rev. Loren Hancock officiated, with Risher Montebello Mortuary acting as directors. Interment followed in Rose Hills Memorial Park Cemetery. Mr. Mentzer, a native of Yates Center, Kansas, died in a local hospital May 6, after a short illness, at age 69 years. He had lived in this area the past 40 years. Mr. Mentzer was retired superintendent of Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles, where he had been employed for 40 years. He was a 4-H leader in Montebello for many years.
(Continued on Page 3)
Wilfred F. Mentzer Laid To Rest Tues.
(Continued from Page 1)Both Mr. and Mrs. Mentzer spent many years as workers with young people of the Montebello Eaglets 4-H Club, always ready to give a helping hand to any young person or to give a bit of friendly advice and help. Members of the 4-H served as honor guards at funeral services.
Mr. Mentzer leaves his widow, Clara; daughter and son-in-law, Melba and Wilbur Bartlett of West Covina; son and daughter-in-law, Kenneth and Frances Mentzer of Canoga Park; brother, Harley Mentzer of Yates Center, Kansas; sisters, Mrs. Pearl Peterson of Glendale, Mrs. Mildred Van Valkenberg of Whittier, Mrs. Hazel Herold and Mrs. Cecil Beine, both of Yates Center, and Mrs. Aleta Tolle of Nebraska; also 6 grandchildren: Kathy Bartlett, now of Boston, Mass., Janine and Doris Bartlett of West Covina and Keith and Julie Justine Mentzer of Canoga Park.
I’m deeply grateful to my grandmother for her foresight in saving newspaper clippings like this one. Without her care and attention, this richer, more personal account of Wilfred Mentzer’s life and legacy might have been lost to time. Her quiet habit of preservation continues to connect generations—and reminds me why we do the work of family history in the first place.