Beaverton Historical Society
Gladwin County Obituary/Death Notice
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Vernon Roy Switzer
Vernon Roy Switzer was born in Gladwin township, Gladwin county, Michigan,
June 17, 1889, where his boyhood days were spent. Always of a serious turn of mind he early
had deep religious convictions, and when a small boy was converted and joined the Methodist
Episcopal church. He seemed while very young to feel the responsibilities of life and began
to fit himself for the other higher duties of life. He spent several months in a Saginaw business
college and three years in the Evangelistic seminary at Chicago, graduating from there in 1915.
Feeling called to the ministry, he accepted work with the Detroit conference of the M.E. church
and was assigned to the church at Ontonagon, Mich., where he enjoyed about 20 months of an unusally
successful pastorate. His health failing under the strain of school and ministerial labor, he was
obliged to relinquish his work and come to the farm home of his father and mother. Here he was
successful in regaining his lost strength, and in the fall of 1917 he felt he must return to the
ministry, and accepted a place at Tomahawk, Wis., where his usual success attended his labors, and
everything seemed to bid fair for years of usefulness in his chosen work, but such was not to be.
He felt the call of his country, and about two months ago enlisted as an ordinary seaman and was at
Great Lakes training camp when his fatal illness overtook him, and he fell in the line of duty.
His body was brought home and the funeral held at the M.E. church at McClure, where he was so well
and favorably known, Tuesday, Oct. 1, in charge of Rev. W. W. Chatfield, a close personnel friend and
former pastor, and Rev. J. H. Cornelius of Gladwin City. The Home Guards acted as pallbearers, and
just as the sun sank in the West the last taps were sounded and all that was mortal of a hero was
laid to rest in McClure cemetery, near where he was born.
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| Personal Information
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Death Date
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Burial/Final Location
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Service
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09/--/1918
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McClure Cemetery, Gladwin, MI
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unk
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| Publication Information
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Pub. Date
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Publication
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Pub. Page
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10/03/1918
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Gladwin County Record, Gladwin, MI
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P:5 C:5
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| Transcription Information
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Date
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Transcribed by
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Source Media
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January 2005
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Tom Ladner
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Microfilm
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