Doris Jeanne Taylor

Mrs. Alfred Taylor Killed in Crash

Mrs. Alfred Taylor, 21, was fatally injured and died shortly after the car she was driving rolled over and off the road 16 miles north of Lingle about 2:30 Sunday morning. Miss Janice Johnson, who was riding with her was only bruised.

The two young women had driven to Torrington Saturday evening about 8:30 and were returning after attending a drive-in theater. The car belonged to Miss Johnson. Mrs. Taylor had taken the wheel at Torrington and Miss Johnson had dozed off.

No one witnessed the accident but it is believed that Mrs. Taylor dozed. Patrolman Jack Rhynsburger of Torrington, who investigated the accident said the car traveled 487 feet after leaving the road. It went 280 feet off the right side of the road, skidded 87 feet back across the road and then rolled 120 feet before coming to rest on its wheels on a fence post.

Miss Johnson said she awakened as Mrs. Taylor cried out as she lost control of the car but then knew nothing further until later. She believes she was thrown from the car as was Mrs. Taylor.

Robert Caskey, Denver, driving a Buckingham truck came upon the scene first. Miss Johnson had gotten to the road to attract attention, but said she believed the trucker had already seen the situation and started to stop. Caskey said he found the motor of the car still running and turned it off. A second motorist, Buck Everett of Ft. Laramie provided blankets to wrap Mrs. Taylor in and then took Miss Johnson to a ranch to phone the Torrington patrolman and then brought her on to Lusk. Caskey said Mrs. Taylor lived 30 or 40 minutes but never regained consciousness.

Mrs. Taylor's husband has been in Army training at Camp Roberts, Calif. having been inducted a short time ago. Mrs. E. R. Bixby, a cousin, and her husband were notified of the accident and flew from Los Angeles to Camp Roberts to inform Mr. Taylor. Niobrara Red Cross Chairman, Samuel M. Thomas had already made arrangements for his furlough. Mrs. Bixby then accompanied Mrs. Taylor by plane to Cheyenne where his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Don Taylor and his brother Donald Lee met him Monday morning.

The Peet Mortuary was crowded beyond capacity Tuesday afternoon for the funeral services at 2:00. Rev. Jacob Nein, pastor of the Congregational Church officiated in the services with the Congregational Choir, under the direction of Mrs. Dale Bardo, singing. Mrs. Gerald Bardo was organist. Burial was in the Lusk Cemetery.

Casket bearers were Paul Godfrey, Bud Owens, Roger Bonsell, Calvin Paisley, David Lorenzen, and "Buck" Barnett. Honorary casket bearers were James Griffith, Jr., Harry Fernau, Jr., and James Fagan. Members of the American Legion attended in a body.

Doris Jeanne Taylor was born Dec. 4, 1930 at Harrison, Nebr. She spent her early years on the ranch near Van Tassell attending the grade school there. In 1944 the family moved to Lusk. She graduated from Lusk High School in 1948. In the fall of 1948 she attended the University of Wyoming, pledging Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, then returned to Lusk to be employed by the Lusk State Bank and the past year she has served as chief teller. She became the bride of Alfred L. Taylor Sept. 16, 1949. She was a member of the Lusk Congregational Church.

Besides her husband she leaves her parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Larson of Lusk, two sisters, Mrs. Gilbert Bernbeck of Lingle and Mrs. Rex Shoults of Lusk.

Members of the Larson family here for the services included the Gilbert Bernbeck family; a sister of Mrs. Larson, Mrs. G. A. Maselli of Fresno, Calif.; a brother of Mrs. Larson, L. C. Larson of Chadron, and his wife; a nephew, Gordon Larson and his wife of Chadron, and another brother, Roy Larson and his wife of Boulder, Colo.

Those of the Taylor family here included Mrs. Loretta Schipporeit and daughter, Marilyn, of Laramie, aunt of Alfred Taylor an uncle Martin Taylor and three children of Seattle; Mrs. Bixby; Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Costlow and children of Casper; Mrs. C. A. McFarling, an aunt, of Woolsley, S. Dak.has been here since July 3.

Friends from far away included Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Thomson of Casper, Jane Dohrmann of Sioux City, Iowa, Mr. and Mrs. James Fagan of Laramie and Mrs. and Mrs. Max T. Bird of Hawarden, Iowa.

Lusk Free Lance
July 17, 1952
Mrs. Doris Taylor Fatally Hurt When Car Goes Out of Control on South Highway 85 Sunday Morn

Concluding rites for Mrs. Doris Jean Taylor, 21, of this city, wife of Alfred Taylor, now serving in the army at Camp Roberts, Calif., who was fatally injured in an automobile accident occurring about 2:35 a.m., last Sunday morning on South Highway 85, 31 miles south of Lusk, were conducted from the chapel of the Peet Funeral home at 2:00 o'clock Tuesday afternoon, July 15th.

Rev. Jacob Nein, pastor of the Lusk Congregational-Christian church, officiated at the services, at which a host of friends of the deceased, paying a last tribute, filled the chapel to overflowing. Banks of flowers also attested to the high esteem in which the youthful victim was held.

During the services the Congregational choir, directed by Mrs. Helen Bardo, sang "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," and "Faith of Our Fathers." Mrs. Jane Bardo accompanied at the organ.

Remains of the deceased were laid at rest in the Lusk cemetery, Paul Godfrey, Bud Owens, Calvin Paisley, Bucky Barnette, Roger Bonsell and David Lorenzen serving as casketbearers. Honorary pallbearers were James Griffith, Jr., Harry Fernau, Jr., and James Fagan. A brief graveside service was conducted by Rev. Nein.

Mrs. Taylor, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Anton Larson of this city, had driven to Torrington Saturday evening in company with Miss Janice Johnson, to attend a show at the open air theatre. They had started from here after 9 o'clock, the late start due to waiting for an expected long-distance call from Private Taylor. The young ladies were returning to Lusk when the accident happened.

Miss Johnson had gone to sleep while sitting alongside of Mrs. Taylor who was driving the 1950 Studebaker tudor owned by Miss Johnson. Whether Mrs. Taylor had dozed off or whether blinded by the lights of another vehicle will never be definitely known.

However, the car coursed slightly off the hard surface with its right wheels, and travelled an estimated 315 feet parallel to the blacktop with the right wheels in the soft shoulder. Tracks showed that the machine next coursed diagonally across the highway for about 37 feet and into the borrow pit on the west side. It appeared upon investigation of the scene that as soon as the left front wheel struck the soft dirt at the west side of the highway, the car started to roll, turning over two complete turns and coming to a stop upright, with the right front fender hooked atop a fence post.

Both doors were open and both occupants were outside the machine when two Buckingham truck drivers were first to come upon the accident scene, and it is presumed that both young women were thrown from the car as it rolled over the final time. Miss Johnson was dazed for some moments after the accident, and believed she had been thrown out because of the dirt in her hair and hurts to her right knee and leg and body bruises.

She remembers her companion calling her name several times before she was able to find her in the dark, she told questioners. Mrs. Taylor died within only a few minutes after the crash. Her inert form was found just to the rear of the machine, which lead to the belief that the car had rolled over her on its final turn.

State Highway Patrolmen Jack Rhynsburger and Z. W. Magee, called from Torrington investigated the accident, as it was in Goshen county. An ambulance, from the Colyer Mortuary of Torrington arrived shortly following the patrolmen and took the remains to that town. George Earl Peet of the Peet mortuary in this city was notified by the Colyer mortuary shortly after 4:00 a.m., Sunday, and he went down and brought the remains to Lusk to prepare for burial.

An examination showed that Mrs. Taylor had received a basal skull fracture, crushed chest, shoulder dislocation and internal injuries. Miss Johnson was also taken to Torrington for examination and treatment.

The engine of the car was still running when the first rescuers reached the scene. The ignition key had been broken off in the key-slot and the ring of keys was not found until several hours later. Wires were pulled to shut the engine off.

Also peculiar was the fact that Mrs. Taylor's watch case and band remained on her wrist, although the works had fallen out during the careening of the car. They were found some hours after the accident in the dirt but only a short distance from where Mrs. Taylor's form rested.

Private Taylor, who has been in the service since June 5th, was reached and notified of the accident by Mr. and Mrs. Rew Bixby of Los Angeles, to whom the news of the tragedy had been telephoned. They drove to Camp Roberts, 190 miles distant, to take the sad news to the victim's husband. He left the camp by plane, reaching Cheyenne Monday morning where he was met by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Don C. Taylor and his brother, Donald,. Mrs. Bixby will be remembered here as the former Miss Kathryn Costlow, daughter of City Clerk and Mrs. J. P. Costlow.

Doris Jean Larson-Taylor
Doris Jean Larson, the youngest daughter of Anthone E. and Ethel Larson, of this city, was born December 4th, 1930, at Harrison, Nebr., and passed away early Sunday morning, July 13th, 1952, her demise being caused by injuries received in an automobile accident that morning. She had attained the age of 21 years, seven months and nine days.

Her early years were spent with her family at the ranch home near Van Tassell, where she attended grade school. In 1944, the family moved to Lusk and Doris entered the Lusk High School as a member of the freshmen class, and was graduated from the Lusk High school with the class of 1948. That fall, she enrolled in the University of Wyoming, majoring in education. She pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

On September 16, 1949, she was united on marriage to Wm. Alfred Taylor at the Congregational-Christian church. For the past three years she has been employed in the Lusk State Bank and the past year served as chief teller.

Doris was rich in friends, because she, too, was friendly. She fulfilled the Master's great command to be "the light of the world." So short was the span of her life. So short was the time in which her cup of happiness with her husband and friends overflowed. And yet, her life was filled with life's richest blessings, as though she had lived many years. Upon others she willingly bestowed such rich blessings. Somehow she learned the secret of Life's rewarding power, namely to make friends, one must be one; to receive, one must give.

Besides her husband, Pvt. Alfred L. Taylor, who is stationed at Camp Roberts, Calif., she leaves to mourn her passing, her parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Larson of Lusk and Van Tassell, two sisters, Mrs. Gilbert Bernbeck of Lingle, Wyo., and Mrs. Rex Shoults, of Lusk, several nieces and nephews, and a large number of friends.

Card of Thanks
To the many friends whose expressions of sympathy and other willing and generous considerations were so helpful to us in our bereavement, the untimely accidental death of our beloved, Mrs. Doris Jean Taylor, we hope that this will in a measure at least convey our deep gratitude. We are also most appreciative of the numerous floral tributes. You have all been wonderful, and we thank you so much.

Alfred Taylor
Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Larson and Family
Mr. and Mrs. Don C. Taylor and Family

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