Shelby  County  Indiana
Obituaries

Parr

The  Shelbyville  News
Thursday, January 16, 1975
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Opal  F. Parr
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          Mrs. Opal F. Parr,  78, 618 Colescott St., died Wednesday at Major Hospital where she had been a patient one week.  She had been in poor health two years and seriously ill six weeks.
          Born May 16, 1896 in Tipton County, the daughter of  John and  Lottie (Yarber) Thurston,  she married  Harry Parr  on Sept 2, 1917 in Covington, Ky., and he survives.
          Also surviving are two foster children,  Paul (Pete) Jarvis,  at home, and  Mrs. Michael (Paula) Cochran,  R.R. 4, Shelbyville.  A brother and two sisters preceded in death.
          Mrs. Parr retired in 1961 from KCL Corp, after 42 years of service.  She was a member of the Christian Science Church, the Order of Eastern Star, and American Legion Auxiliary and the auxiliary of World War I Barracks 62.
          Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Murphy Mortuary with Wilhelmina Hinschlager officiating.  Friends may call at the mortuary after 4:00 p.m. Friday.  Burial will be in Lewis Creek Baptist Cemetery.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

The  Franklin  Democrat
Franklin, Johnson County, Indiana
Friday, June 21, 1895
Page 1, column 2
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PERSONAL AND LOCAL.
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          John Parr,  formerly a resident of Edinburg, was killed last week at Cicero, [sic] Illinois, while digging a gas well.  The remains were brought to Edinburg, Saturday, where funeral services were held, conducted by Rev. J. T. O’Neal.
Notes:  Date of birth: abt 1873.  Date of death: 13 Jun 1895 – Cisco, Piatt County, Illinois.
Contributed by Mark McCrady and Cathea Curry

The  Decatur  Herald
Decatur, Macon County, Illinois
Saturday morning, June 15, 1895
Page 1, column 6
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DEATH  BY  GAS.
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Two Young Men Suffocated In a Well Near Cisco on Thursday Afternoon
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          Jesse Cornell  and  John Parr,  two young men who were engaged in digging a well near Cisco for  Thomas Cooley  were suffocated by gas Thursday afternoon.  The young men had just completed the work of digging the well to a depth of 68 feet and had also walled it up.  Cornell went to the bottom of the well to put on a few finishing touches while Parr with a number of other men who had gathered there stayed at the top.  While they were waiting they heard a disturbance at the bottom of the pit and Parr immediately slid down the rope to ascertain the trouble.  That was the last ever seen of him alive.  After he had gone down the rope those on the surface could hear the roaring of the gas and failing to get any answer after repeated calling they came to the conclusion that both of the men had perished.  The fatality occurred at 3 o’clock and it was nearly 5 before the bodies had been brought to the surface.  This was done by means of a grappling hook.  The amount of gas in the well became so dense that it was an impossibility for any one to venture to the bottom without meeting instant death.  The victims of the tragedy are about 25 years of age.  Cornell lives near Cisco while Parr recently came to that section from Shelbyville, Ind., where his body will be sent for burial.
Note:  The Illinois Statewide Death Index, part of the Illinois State Archives records that 22-year-old John Parr died 13 Jun 1895 in Cisco, Piatt County, Illinois.  This information is entered as Certificate number 883 in Volume 1, page 69.
Contributed by Lois Johnson

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