(November 20, 1933-May 21, 1967)

Francis E. Despaw, 33, of 8 Wood Ave., Piercefield, was crushed to death early Sunday morning on a logging road near Sevey’s Corners as he tried to fasten a tow chain between his car and a crane mounted on a truck.

Despaw and his wife are believed to have been on their way to a camp. They drove into the woods about 1:30 a.m. and their car became stuck in the soft earth on a down grade. State police say he went to Piercefield and got the crane, owned by John Courtney, Jr., and drove it back to the car. As he was attempting to fasten the tow chain, the truck and crane moved, pinning his head against the rear fender of his own car.

Mrs. Despaw walked a mile to a camp and telephoned the Saranac Lake State Police who called the Canton Substation which has charge of that area. The trooper on the desk in Canton called the Gouverneur-Star Lake Patrol car which went to the scene.

By this time, Mrs. Despaw was so distraught, the police called Despaw’s mother, Mrs. Marion Despaw of Massena who requested that her son be taken to the Massena Hospital He was pronounced dead on arrival there.

Despaw was born in Norfolk and attended schools in Raymondville and Massena.

Survivors besides his wife and mother are a daughter, Gina; four children by a previous marriage, Charmaine, Steve, JoAnne and Debra; and two sisters, Mrs. Richard LaComb and Mrs. Lyle LaShomb, both of Massena.

The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the richer Funeral Home with the Rev. Clifton Chapman of Long Lake officiating. Burial will be in Gale Cemetery.

(From the Monday, May 22, 1967 edition of the Saranac Lake Adirondack Daily enterprise, courtesy of the Northern New York Library Network @ http://news.nnyln.net/).