OCHELTREE, Raymond - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Four persons, all residents of this area, including one man from Fountain County and three from adjoining Warren County, lost their lives and four others were injured and hospitalized in three separate accidents, the first of which occurred Friday night, Dec. 22. Killed were: Raymond Ocheltree, age 31, of Kingman in Fountain County, who lost his life in a two-car crash Friday evening, Dec. 22, which also hospitalized his wife and three men. Mr. Ocheltree was born Sept. 5, 1930 in Sylvania, Ind. He had been employed by the A. C. Cronkhite Liberty Oil Co., at Kingman. He was married to the former Vivian Stoup, who survives. Surviving, in addition to his wife, are: three children, Mary Ann, 7, Roger Lee, 5, and Dale Ray, 15 months; a half-sister, Sonja Kay Stoup; his mother, Mrs. Doris Stoup, and his step-father, Herman Stoup. Funeral services were conducted Sunday afternoon at the Woodrow Funeral Home in Kingman. The Rev. Robert Carey, pastor of the Kingman EUB Church, officiated and burial was in the Kingman Fraternal Cemetery. Injured and hospitalized in the two-car crash, which took the life of Mr. Ocheltree Friday evening, were: his wife, Mrs. Vivian Ocheltree, age 24, and William Kunkle, age 35, Kingman Rt. 1, both passengers in the Ocheltree car; and Ruby W. Shemwell, 26, driver of the other car involved, and his passenger, Billy C. Harrison, 26, both of Hammond. Mr. Ocheltree was fatally injured at about 7:30 p. m. Friday in a head-on crash in front of the Morgan Coal Mine, about nine miles south of Sterling on US-41 or about a mile north of the intersection of US-41 and Ind. 234, east of Kingman. He died enroute to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Danville, Ill., in the Woodrow ambulance from Kingman and was pronounced dead on arrival. His wife, Vivian, was injured seriously in the crash which also hospitalized William Kunkle, who was riding with the Ocheltrees, and Ruby Shemwell, driver of the other car, and his companion, Billy Harrison, both of Hammond. Mrs. Ocheltree's condition is reported to be showing improvement this week. She suffered from shock, possible internal injuries and facial lacerations. Kunkle was treated for slight lacerations and contusions about the face and released. Shemwell sustained a fractured left forearm, facial lacerations and head injuries and his condition is reported to be improving. Harrison was dismissed from the hospital after treatment for a large contusion of the forehead and slight lacerations. The Ocheltrees were northbound enroute to Covington for some last minute Christmas shopping. The Shemwell auto was southbound and its occupants were reportedly headed for Kentucky for Christmas. Fountain County Sheriff George E. Cruea and State Trooper Stan Kenny, who investigated, said that the Shemwell auto was passing a line of cars and did not get into the proper lane in time colliding headon with the Ocheltree car. They also reported it appeared there was not excessive speed, as the weather was rainy and visibility was poor.   --typed by Walt W