Udall Kansas

This entry was posted on November 5, 2012 by , in In-laws, LaForce/LeForce/LeFors, Our Homes. Bookmark the permalink. 5 Comments

I don’t know where I work most – in my tree or at find a grave – but I work at both A LOT.

I think I had this lady as an unknown burial: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=58903618.

I don’t even remember if I found the pioneer story done on her BEFORE I was informed of how she died.  But I believe someone used the suggest a correction feature to inform me both where she’s buried & also how she died.  Sarah E. Purcell LeForce died in a 1955 tornado that wiped Udall Kansas off the map.

She was living in a nursing home.  Her son & his wife were working in the same nursing home.  They managed to get under some stairs & survived.  But most of the residents, including Sarah, were not so lucky.

All these reports say 5/25/1955.  Her death date is 5/25/1955.  And she’s buried in Blackwell cemetery which was another place that was hit by the same tornado.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udall,_Kansas

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ict/udall/udall.php (she’s on the list of fatalities here)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1408292/posts

The following one has pics:

http://www.kansas.com/2010/02/10/1174869/1955-udall-tornado.html

http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/udall-tornado-1955/12225

http://www.cityofudall.com/history-of-udall.htm

And this is a video made by a survivor:

5 thoughts on “Udall Kansas”

  1. Hi, my name is Carlton Smail, I am on a committee of Udall Tornado survivors, helping them collect photos and stories of victims of the May 25, 1955 tornado, for a memorial this May 25, 2015, (60th Anniversary), in Udall. I would like to know if you may have a photo or know someone who has one of Sarah LeForce that we could use to Honor her. The committee is made up of Udall Historical Museum members, survivors, the Mayor, Steve Brown, my brother-in-law, and myself Carlton Smail. We would appreciate any help we could get.Thank you, and hope to hear from you soon. Carlton Smail 4/8/2015. e-mail me @ Carltonsma@cox.net

  2. No I’m afraid I don’t have pic of her. Might want to keep eye on her Find A Grave Memorial. Maybe someone will post pic there. Good luck to you.

  4. I posted something about this in family group. Wife of great grandson is going to try to find picture. Hopefully she can pull it off before 5/25.

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