Sunday's Obituary - Roy Fowlie was killed by lightning 100 years ago today

Royal James Fowlie (Roy) was my great grand uncle, and the brother of my great grandfather, Frank Brown Fowlie. According to my notes, Roy was born March 30, 1887 in Rockwell City, Calhoun County, Iowa to Alexander Brown Fowlie, of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and Mary Kiesel.of Kankakee County, Illinois. He was killed by lightning July 31, 1911 and was buried at Rosehill Cemetery, Rockwell City, Iowa, August 2, 1911. He was never married. The 1910 census shows that he was living with two brothers, Alexander and Henry, and his mother on the family farm in Twin Lakes Township, Calhoun, Iowa.


This is from the Rockwell City Advocate, August 3, 1911.

Killed By Lightning

On Monday afternoon Roy Fowlie, a young man who was working for P. McGinty, southwest of town, was struck and instantly killed by lightning. At the tine of the sad occurrence he was handling grain bundles on a wagon on the Robert Moore farm where threshing was going on. The bolt seemed to strike him on the head and go through his body, burning his clothing almost entirely off. The team, owned by Mr. McGinty, became frightened and started to run but was caught and the burning grain thrown from the wagon. The shock was only slightly felt by the other men in the field. The young man was in his twenty-fifth year and was a steady hard working lad. The sympathy of the community goes out to the sorrowing parents, brothers and sisters in their sudden and awful bereavement. The funeral was held yesterday morning from the Catholic Church in this city and the body was followed to its last resting place in Rose Hill cemetery by a large concourse of sorrowing friends.

Tombstone of Roy Fowlie, 1887-1911