Pettis County, Mo., Obituary

Charles Koeller of this city received word of the death of his brother, Fred J. Koeller, 79 of Sedalia, who passed away at about 10:10 o'clock Monday morning enroute to the hospital, after being found in his smoke filled house.

The following account of his death appeared in Tuesday morning's Sedalia Capital: "According to reports, Lawrence Koeller, 1017 South Merriam, a nephew, went to Koeller's house to see if his uncle was all right since he had recently been in ill health. When Koeller arrived, he found the house full of smoke. He returned home and called the Sedalia Fire Department.

Firemen found Koeller lying on his bed. The resuscitator was applied and he was rushed to Bothwell Hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival by coroner Dr. C. Gordon Stauffacher.

The cause of the fire was thought to have been a defective heating pad which Koeller used to warm his bed. It was reported that about half of the mattress on the bed was burned.

Firemen laid a booster line to extinguish the flames. Damage was estimated at $100 to the house and $100 to the contents.

Koeller was born in Cole Camp, Oct. 9, 1893, son of the late John and Dora Koeller. He moved to Sedalia in 1906 when he started working for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. He retired in 1949.

He was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church.

Surviving are three brothers, Charles Koeller, Cole Camp; Louis Koeller, 820 East 13th; and Ted Koeller, Little Rock, Ark.; two sisters, Mrs. Maggie Steffens and Mrs. Dora Kohrs, Smithton; a nephew F.A. Schutte, Smithton. Funeral servives will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Gillespie Funeral Home with the Rev. Walter F. Strickert officiating.

Burial will be in Crown Hill Cemetery.

Pallbearers were: Fred Koeller, Fred S. Steffens, Frank Schutte, Albert Koeller, Albert Koeller, Leonard Koeller and James Koeller.