Daniel E. Goddard Jr.

Daniel E. Goddard, Jr., Dies in Colorado From Sudden Heart Attack Last Saturday

Last Surviving Male Member of Pioneer Niobrara County Family Succumbs to Sudden Heart Attack While Engaged in Shearing Sheep at Fruita, Colo.; Funeral Tuesday

Daniel E. Goddard, Jr., 52 years old, eldest son of the late Daniel E. Goddard, died very suddenly last Saturday afternoon, at Grand Junction, Colo., where he had been for a few weeks, engaged in shearing sheep, together with several others from this county.

From meager reports of his death received here, Mr. Goddard was stricken about 3:30 Saturday afternoon, April 13th, after working all day shearing at a ranch near Fruita, Colo. He was placed in a car by Clint Dern, also of this County, and at once started to Grand Junction for medical aid, but death overtook him about the time he arrived at the doctor's office.

He had apparently been in good health up to the time he was taken ill. It is believed that over-exertion at his work, together with not being accustomed to the high altitude, brought on the heart attack.

The body arrived in Lusk at 11:00 o'clock Monday morning, and was taken in charge by the Midwest Mortuary, who had charge of the funeral arrangements.

Services were held from the Episcopal Church of Lusk at 2:30 Tuesday afternoon, with Rev. W. H. Ward of Douglas officiating.

A mixed quartet composed of Mrs. H. J. Templeton, Mrs. Edna Howard DeCastro, J. M. Hungate and Ford B. Kuns, accompanied by Mrs. Otto Koeberlin, furnished the music at the services. The selections rendered were "One Sweetly Solemn Thought," "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Saying," and "Crossing the Bar."

The pallbearers, who were all old friends of Mr. Goddard, were Andrew Anderson, Henry Petz, Alfred Johnson, Ben Martin, Ed Stewart, Ed Schroefel and Lawrence Johnson.

First reports of Mr. Goddard's death were received here by Sheriff Will Hassed about 10:15 Saturday night, when the Sheriff was asked by long distance telephone to notify the family and make arrangements toward shipping the body.

The elevation in the vicinity of Grand Junction is between 8,000 and 10,000 feet, and friends here are certain that over-work and the altitude were responsible for his death as he had been in good health previously, and was not known to have had any heart ailment.

Death Wipes Out Male Members of Family In Short Time
The death of Daniel E. Goddard, Jr., removes the last male member of the immediate family of the late Daniel E. Goddard, pioneer resident of this section, for a quarter of a century U. S. Commissioner, and for almost a half century a prominent figure in political and civic life of this community. Robert S. Goddard, the only other son, passed away last November, and Mr. Goddard, Sr., preceded him in death by a month. Thus within the short space of five and a half months, all the male members of this pioneer family have been called by death. The only remaining one to carry the family name is John Goddard, son of the deceased.

The deceased had been in the ranching business in Niobrara county practically all his life. He came to the community from Alton, Osborne County, Kansas, where he was born on February 11, 1883, arriving here when he was 7 years old. When he was 21 years old he took up a homestead, where he made his home with his family for the balance of his life. The family still resides on this ranch. Mr. Goddard received his common school education in Lusk, but spent one year in school at Omaha. He is survived by his wife and son, John Goddard. One other son of the deceased, Bert Emmett Goddard, died in October of 1928.

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