Finger Family Genealogical DatabaseLast Update

Penn Yan Apr. 22 - Crushed under the door of his car as it hurtled around in the highway Saturday night at 10 o'clock Fenton E. Tears, 25, RD 4, died as he was being admitted to Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital. Tears, a fanner living in Benton was operating a 1936 Ford car, with his wife Nora, 23 3-year-old son, Lawrence and brother-in-law, Harry Bennett, 17, RD1, as passengers, who, according to State Trooper Fred Guyle, had started to pass another car in the same direction. Losing control of the car as the wheels caught in the road shoulder, Tears was unable to turn it back to the highway and it swerved, overturned twice and brought up on its leftside, facing in the opposite direction from which it was traveling. Tears was caught under the left front door and his head crushed. Brought to the local hospital physicians pronounced him dead on admission, cause of death being fractured skull and other injuries. Mrs. Nora Tears, wife of the victim, was admitted to the hospital Suffering from a fractured left collarbone, lacerations and bruises. Lawrence, three-year-old son of the couple, escaped with bruises and Bennett received bruises and suffered from shock. The accident occurred three miles north of Penn Yan as the Tears were returning home after shopping in Penn Yan. Dr. M. E. Costello, of Penn Yan, Yates County coroner, issued a certificate of accidental death from fractured skull and the body was removed to Thayer funeral chapel. Tears has been tenant farmer on the Benton farm of Archie M. Thayer, of Penn Yan, for the past eight months. Besides his wife and son, Mr. Tears leaves his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Tears two sisters, Viola and Mary Louise at home two brothers, Raymond of Milo and Howard of Jerusalem. The funeral will be held at 2:30 o'clock tomorrow afternoon at the Thayer funeral chapel in Penn Yan with burial in Lake View Cemetery. The Rev. E. Bennett of Benton will officiate. Geneva Daily Times April 22, 1940