Patterson Cemetery District, Stanislaus County, CA 

Submitted by Gale Stroud and Burta Herger 26 Aug 2007

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German Kenneth 400719 p1, 19400719-p1b

Kills Self As Wife Asks Divorce; Kenneth German Uses Rifle to End Life Saturdayl; A rocky path of youthful romance
ended in tragedy Saturday afternoon as Kenneth German, 23, blasted a hole in his chest to inflict a fatal wound, following
failure of efforts to obtain a reconciliation with his wife. He was rushed to a Modesto hospital following the shot but died
shortly after his arrival there.  It was four years ago that he married Shirley Garner, when she was but fifteen and he 19.
Their married life was marked by difficulties and several stormy periods were followed by reconciliations, but finally
Mrs. German decided it was no use trying again and returned to the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Garner, at
the Vernalis Associated Oil Station, to start divorce proceedings. German has been employed on a gold-dredging outfit
near San Andreas and when he heard of his wife's move, he came down Saturday afternoon to make another effort to
dissuade her.  But only Mr. and Mrs. Garner were there and they told him that his wife had definitely decided to make the
final break.  That seemed to crush him, and he declared that he thought he would go out and end it all.  They tried to urge
him to go to Oakland and talk it over with an aunt who had helped him on previous occasions, but he refused to listen.
 "When you hear a shot, that's the end," he told them, and started out in his car.  Garner watched him drive down the road
toward the Rising Sun School a short way and then he turned into an orchard, where a moment later, a shot was heard.
When they reached him, it was found that he had placed a hunting rifle against his chest, the bullet tearing a gaping hole
above the heart.
Son Survives; Beside the widow, a 2-year-old son, Harleigh, survives him.  Other relatives are his grandfather, Carl
Larson of Patterson; three aunts, Mrs. Harold Brown of 0ak1and, Mrs. Charles Postal of Alameda, and Mrs. Charles Lee
of Watsonville; and his uncle, W. German of Newman.  He was the son of the late Mrs. Tulle //oftcr.  His father died in a
Reno hospital in 1923. A native of Patterson, he was a  graduate of the local schools.  Funeral services were held Tuesday
afternoon from the chapel of Davis & Sons, with Rev. John W. White officiating.  Interment was made in Del Puerto
Cemetery.
Group Attend Services; Attesting to the esteem in which he was held in San Andreas a delegations of about fifty friends
and fellow employees made the trip down to attend the services.  Other from more distant points coming for the funeral
included Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lee and Jerome Lee of Watsonville and Mr. and Mrs. William Del Biaggio of San Jose.