G1: Joseph Lamb > G2: Henry Lamb, Sr. > G3: Henry Lamb, Jr. > G4: Benjamin Lamb > G5: Hiram Lamb > G6: Iva (Lamb)Ahern > G7: Constance Ahern

Constance “Irene” Ahern

(9/20/1902 - 12/3/1923)

Irene was the only child of Albert and Iva (Lamb)Ahern. She was born on 20 September 1902. Her life was cut short by an automobile accident in 1923 at the age of 21.

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News Items

"Miss Connie Ahern of Des Moines came Saturday evening for a short visit with her mother, Mrs. I Ahern. " — Page 7 of Winterset Madisonian, published in Winterset, Iowa on Wednesday, September 7th, 1921 [1]

“GIRL KILLED IN AUTO CRASH

CAR PLUNGES OVER BRIDGE; VICTIMS ARE PINNED UNDER WREAK

Miss Irene Ahern, 21, of Shannon City, was crushed to death and Miss Slayton, of Des Moines, narrowly escaped death when their auto crashed into the cement approach to a bridge south of Afton Thanksgiving afternoon, and then plunged eight feet to the bottom of the creek. The girls were pinned underneath the car, which was demolished. The accident occurred shortly after 3 o-clock. Defective brakes were believed to have been responsible for the accident.

Miss Ahearn was instantly killed. Miss Slayton was slowly strangling to death from the weight of debris on her neck when she was discovered by a young man named Lindquist, said to be a student in a Des Moines college.

Linquist extricated Miss Slayton from the wreckage and then rushed her to Afton, where he secured medical assistance and returned to the scene of the tragedy.

According to Miss Slayton, the girls had driven over to Afton Junction and were on their way back to Shannon City. Miss Ahern was driving. When they started down the hill toward the bridge, the car skidded. With a roar the machine crashed into the bridge and crashed to the bottom of the creek. Fortunately, there was only about a foot of water in the creek or Miss Slayton would have drowned.

The auto was reduced to junk. All four wheels were ripped off and the engine was reported to have been torn asunder.

Miss Ahern was the daughter of Mrs. Iva Ahern, proprietor of a hotel in Shannon City. The mother is prostrated. She is the niece of Matthew Ahern of Creston.

Miss Ahern was a graduate of the high school at Murray. For the past two years she has been a cashier at an electrical concern in Des Moines.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced but burial will be at Murray.”

~~ Creston Daily Advertiser, Creston, Iowa, Friday, November 30, 1923, Volume XLIV, Number 215, Page 1 [4]

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Tingley Vindicator, published in Tingley, Iowa on Thursday, December 6th, 1923, Page 6 [2] — [2]

Obituaries

“Constance Irene Ahern, only daughter of Albert and Iva Ahern, was born in Murray, Iowa September 20th, 1902, and died November 29th, 1923 at the age of 21 years, 2 months 9 days.

She spent her early childhood in Murray and later moved with her parents to Des Moines, Iowa. At the age of eleven years she made confession of her faith and became identified with the Murray Church of Christ. About a year ago the family moved to Shannon City, near which place she met her death in an auto accident Thanksgiving day.

Besides a host of sorrying friends and relatives to mourn her death her father, mother and aged grandmother.

The funeral services were held in the Murray church of Christ, Sabbath afternoon, at 3 o’clock. Interment in the Murray cemetery.”

~~ The Creston Advertiser - Gazette, Creston, Iowa, Saturday, December 8, 1923, Page 2 [4]

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Page 2 of Osceola Sentinel, published in Osceola, Iowa on Thursday, December 6th, 1923 [3]

Footnotes

Advantage Archives, Advantage Preservation, Winterset, Iowa: http://winterset.advantage-preservation.com/
Advantage Archives, Advantage Preservation, Tingley, Iowa: http://tingley.advantage-preservation.com/
Advantage Archives, Advantage Preservation, Osceola, Iowa: http://osceola.advantage-preservation.com
NewspaperArchive.com