Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Lauster, Frederick Gottlob March 8, 1916
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Nan Wheaton wheaton1624@yahoo.com May 23, 2017, 10:33 am

Daily Standard - Wednesday & Friday, March 8 & 10, 1916

Manager Fred G. Lauster of the Orpheum theater, who had been ill at home a 
couple of days died rather unexpectedly at about three o'clock this 
afternoon. The unexpected news spread quickly on the street, and was 
received with evidences of real sorrow. Mr. Lauster was born in Ionia, and 
had spent his entire life here.


        
                             FRED G. LAUSTER, SR. 
        Progressive Proprietor of the Orpheum Playhouse Laid at Rest.

The sudden death of Fred G. Lauster on Wednesday afternoon was a great shock 
to the entire city, most people not even knowing of his illness. On Monday 
evening he was taken seriously ill, and left his Orpheum theatre early. 
Tuesday he grew worse, but even at Wednesday noon it was not considered that 
the attack would end fatally. He died about 3:00 o'clock that afternoon.

Mr. Lauster was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gottlieb Lauster who came to America 
in 1856. A sister, Mrs. Louis Morgenthaler, and two brothers, Charles and 
George Lauster, are now left of this family, another brother, Will, having 
died some years ago in Detroit. The mother, Mrs. Gottlieb Lauster, died 
about four years ago., the father preceding her. 

Deceased lived all of his life in Ionia, with the exception of a few years 
spent in South Bend, Ind. He was telegraph operator at the Grand Trunk 
station for eight years, at the time when E. H. King was agent here. It was 
following this period that he went to South Bend, where he was station 
master for a time. He then returned to Ionia and entered the grocery 
business with his father and his brother, Charles Lauster. After retirement 
of the father, Charles and Fred Lauster formed a partnership, having both 
the grocery and a bakery, the bakery being located several blocks farther 
west on Main St. About five years ago the partnership was dissolved, Charles 
Lauster assuming complete control of the grocery and Fred Lauster taking the 
bakery. In the spring of 1913 Mr. Lauster dropped the bakery business and 
rebuilt his property into a theatre the present Orpheum, which was opened on 
March 24 of that year. 

Mr. Lauster was always progressive and ambitions about his interests and he 
was not satisfied with managing the moving picture house only. It was his 
intention to build a new place to serve as an opera house, in the vacant 
space east a few rods from the present theatre, this spring - indeed, the 
work of excavating had already been begun during the winter on the 
foundations. He believed that Ionia's interest in good dramas would make the 
occasional appearance here of good companies a paying proposition and was 
sure that with his experience in securing  attractions he could have the 
metropolitan events here frequently during the season. 

Mr. Lauster married Miss Magdalena Motzer of this city, and is survived by 
her and their daughter, Marian, fifteen years old. Another child died in 
infancy. Mr. Lauster himself would have been 59 years old next month.

Rev. A. R. Mitchell conducted the funeral services at the house this 
afternoon, and burial was in Highland Park.

Many of the business places of the city were closed during the hour of the 
funeral service, out of respect to the memory of deceased. 

Additional Comments:
Age: 58
Highland Park cemetery #11-55

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/l/lauster6275gob.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mifiles/

File size: 3.9 Kb