Gravel Pit Swim Fatal To Veronica Lawler, 20 Fell From Raft At LeGrand Last Friday Two Local Boys Attempted Rescue Everyone, not only in this community but in the entire surrounding vicinity, was saddened and shocked Friday afternoon of last week by the tragic news that Miss Veronica Lawler had drowned. Two Months Ago--- The incident was made more tragic by the fact of her mother's sudden and unexpected death only two months and one week previous. Party of Nine --- Veronica, along with her brothers and sisters, Catherine, Robert, Genevieve, Alice and Paul; their cousins, Shirley Dean of Herring and Esther White of Westside; and also Jacqueline Morley, had gone to the LeGrande gravel pit two miles south of Lake View, to enjoy an afternoon's swim when the accident occurred. On A Raft--- Esther and Veronica were on a raft which Catherine, Jacqueline and Shirley were pushing. The girls suddenly stepped in a hole and both Veronica and Esther fell from the raft. In the excitement the group hardly knew exactly what happened, but Jacqueline, the only one who could swim, and Harold Luft of Lake View, who was also swimming in the pit, assisted Esther, Catherine and Shirley to shallow water. Had to Drag Pit--- Harold Paysen and Richard Nomsen of Wall Lake, who were nearby, heard the screams and also tried to reach Veronica by diving but could not find her. It was necessary to drag the pit to recover her body a little over half an hour later. The water was reported to be around 15 feet deep at the spot of the accident. Services Were Monday--- The large number of people who attended the funeral service and the amount of floral offerings carried mute testimony to the esteem by which Veronica was held by all who knew her. The funeral services were held Monday morning in St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Wall Lake. Rev. Father A. A. Bausch read the requiem mass. Interment was in the Wall Lake Catholic cemetery beside her mother. The casket remained unlowered until one o'clock, waiting for the arrival of her brother, Gerald, from Jacksonville, Florida. Pall bearers were Joe and Don Heidenreich, Roy Richardson, Francis Devany, Jack Downey and Glenn Henkenius. Veronica Angela Lawler, second child of Mr. and Mrs. D. V. Lawler, was born August 27, 1920, near Wall Lake, Iowa, living to the age of 20 years, ten months and 28 days. Her untimely death came on Friday afternoon, July 25, 1941. Veronica attended the rural school near her home where she graduated from the eighth grade. she was a conscientious student and for six consecutive years was neither absent or tardy. She later was employed in a cafe at Vail and for the past year and a half was employed at Clyde's Cafe at Carroll. Since the death of her mother she has been at home where she competently took her mother's place. With good humor, pleasant disposition and patience, she competently filled her mother's place, doing all that would have been done had her mother remained in the home. She was a young lady who counted her friends by her acquaintances as to know her was to love her. Her short life will prove to be an inspiration to her brothers and sisters and to all who knew her. She was a young lady with a sterling character and one who will be sadly missed. She leaves to mourn her departure her father, D. V. Lawler; four brothers and four sisters, Sister Mary Eugene of Dubuque, Gerald of Jacksonville, Florida; Louis, Robert, Catherine, Alice and Paul, all at home; one grandmother, Mrs. Peter Lawler of Wall Lake; a number of uncles, aunts, cousins and many other relatives and a large circle of friends. Friends of the community, assisted by ladies of the Legion Auxiliary, served dinner Monday noon in the Community Building to 150 relatives. Those from a distance who attended the funeral were: Sister Mary Eugene and Sister Mary Loyola, both of Dubuque; Sister Mary Lourdes, Sister Mary Catherine, Sister Mary Margaret, Sister Mary Paschel, all of Sioux City; Gerald Lawler of Jacksonville, Catherine and Helen Clifford, both of Detroit; John and Gerald Clifford and Ed Lawler, all of DeWitt; John White and Lourdes Dolan of DAvenport; Mrs. James Duffy and Mrs. Calvin Berger and daughters all of Blencoe; Bernice Kelly of Ft. Dodge; Mrs. Clyde Kitchen and Betty and Marguerite Downey of Des Moines and many other relatives and friends from Carroll, Schaller, Galva, Breda, Westside, Vail and Odebolt. The Wall Lake Blade Thursday, July 31, 1941 Page 1, continued on back page.