Memorials › Lee Roy Sebesta

Lee Roy Sebesta

26 Jul 1921 – 2 Jun 1940

Birth	26 Jul 1921
Death	2 Jun 1940
Cemetery	Needville Public Cemetery Needville , Fort Bend County , Texas , USA
Added by	Carolyn Brinkmeyer on 18 Jan 2016
FaG	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/87820424

Bio

Rosenberg Herald, June 7, 1940: The body of Leroy Sebesta, 18-year-old baker's helper, was recovered from the City Lake at 9:49 o'clock this morning, almost 23 hours after he sank while trying to swim ashore from a capsized fishing boat. Leroy was the nephew of Mrs. J.A. Schmidt, wife of the owner of the Schmidt Bakery where the youth was employed. After the body was discovered by Henry Maggard, a city policeman, and Perry Vermillion, grappling from Vermillion's speed boat, it was brought here to the Griggs Funeral Chapel. Funeral arrangements are to be made this afternoon. Also in the boat, which overturned in the choppy waters at 10:50 o'clock Sunday morning, were the youth's aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. E.J. Sebesta, of 501 Kentucky St., where the boy made his home, and Bill Cottle, a friend. The four grapsed the rented boat after it overturned. According to the other members of the party, the youth lost his hold on the boat and started swimming toward shore. He was a novice swimmer and had made only a small part of the 110-yard distance to shore when he went under. The other three in the fishing party were rescued by Jeff Bentley, city employee in charge of the boathouse. They held to the boat, buoyed up by air safety compartments, until Bentley pulled it ashore. When they told him one of their party was still in the lake, a search was hurriedly organized. After a few hours, the firemen, policemen, and volunteers gave up hope of finding the youth alive, but they continued to search for the body throughout the night. Many city employees worked all night, while others took time off for a little sleep. City Commissioner Joe A Jenkins directed rescue attempts. After many hours of futile grappling and fishing for the body, the Southwestern Public Service Co. brought big search lights for night work. The body was found near where it went down. Members of the boat crews which worked back and forth over the spot for many hours said that part of the lake had been covered scores of times. There were at times as many as 30 boats on the lake Sunday and Sunday night. Members of the Plains Boat Club volunteered as did Jim Golding, Buffalo Lake concessionaire, who brought boats and grappling equipment from the bigger lake some 15 miles to the southeast. The tragedy occurred on the second day of the City Lake fishing season when there were large crowds of fisherman and picknickers at the resort 20 miles southwest of Amarillo. The body was brought to the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Sebesta, in Fairchilds, from which place funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock. Services at the home were followed by services at the Presbyterian Church in Needville, which were conducte by the pastor at 3:30 o'clock. Interment took place in the Public Cemetery, between Needville and Fairchilds. Friends of the parents and other relatives, including a sister, Mrs. Alfred Walenta of Rosenberg, of the deceased, sorrow with them and extend heartfelt sympathy.

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