The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1938-07-21
Freeport
Lady Died
From Burns
Attempted To Rekindle
Fire With Distillate-
Explosion Followed
DIED THURSDAY
Funeral Service Held
Saturday Morning At
Sacred Heart Church

Fatally burned while attempting
to rekindle fire at her farm
home, near Freeport, last week,
Wednesday morning, Mrs. Amandus
Rolfes, resident of the Pleasant
Valley community until last fall,
died at 1925 Thursday morning at
the st. Cloud hospital.
A son, Walter Rolfes, nine months
old, is also patient at the hospi-
tai. Although he is still running a
high temperature as a result of
burns and shock, there is hope for
his recovery.
Mrs. Rolfes being the only adult
at home at the time of the accident
details are rather vague. Mr.. Rolfes
had left home an hour or so earlier,
and the only ones at home were
Mrs. Roles, her two infant children,
Melvin, aged two years, and Wal
ter, nine months old, and two nieces,
Lorraine and Marion Voller, eight
and six year old daughters of Mr..
and Mrs. Henry Voller, of the Sank
Centre community.
Mrs. Rolfes evidently used a near
empty, five gallon can, containing
distillate to rekindle the fire. The
force of the explosion blew the bot
tom from the can, and her clothing
caught fire. She ran screaming
from the house. Marion Voller push
ed through the door to the outside
without burns, but the baby and
Lorraine Voller were both burned.
Little Melvin Rolfes was not in the
house at the time.
Having no telephone to summon
aid, little Lorraine Voller, although
suffering from severe burns (third
degree) on her left foot and leg be-
low the knee, bravely ran to the
nearest neighbor and secured aid.
She was accompanied by her sister,
Marion.
Mrs. Rolfes Immediately was TAX
en- to a physician in Albany and
she was rushed to st. Cloud, where
it was found her entire body, with
the exception of her feet and scalp,
had been scared. She passed away
the next morning. At her bedside
were Sister DEBORAH, Mrs. Carl Rad
emacher, of st. Anthony, Mrs. Ost-
endorf, of Freeport, Mr.. and Mrs.
Henry Voller, and Mr.. and Mrs.
Tony Voller, Of Sank Centre, and
her husband.
Funeral services were held Sat-
urday morning at Sacred Heart
Church, at Freeport. Those from
this community in attendance were:
Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Voller, Mr.. and
Mrs. Tony Voller, Mr.. and Mrs. An
ton Beste and Mrs. Ted Weiner.
Lorraine Voller was brought home
Saturday and is under the doctors
care. Mrs. Rolfes and husband were
employed at the Henry Voller farm
about two years ago and they left
here last fall.
Mrs. Rolfes, who was "a years old,
was born in st. Anthony October
II, 1913. She was united in mar
riage to Amandus Rolfes at Free
port, on October 1, 1885. The hus-
band and two sons, Melvin and
Walter, besides her father and a
number of brothers and sisters sur
vive. The brothers and sisters are:
Mrs. Barbara Gasperlin, Albany;
Mrs. Henry Voller and Mrs. Tony
Voller, Sank Centre; Anton Rade-
macher, Elrosa; Mrs. Frank Osten-
dorf, Freeport; Norbert Rademach-
er, Melrose, Marie, Paul, Gotthard
and Hilary, of st. Anthony. Her
mother, Mrs. Rademacher, died in
1920.
Neighbors gathered Immediately
and the fire was under control when
the Freeport fire department arriv-
ed. The kitchen was badly burned
and other rooms downstairs were
Ior