Frederick Milford PLETCHER

                   04/16/1926 - Frederick Milford PLETCHER, one of the most formidable candi
dates for selection as county superintendent of public schools, passed aw
ay at his home in Howard at nine o'clock last Saturday morning as the res
ult of an attack of uraemic poisoning.  He became ill on Tuesday of last
week while teaching in the Milesburg High school but finished his work fo
r the day.  On Wednesday morning he felt so badly that he decided to rema
in at home.  His condition grew steadily worse and he died on Saturday mo
rning.  He was a son of Henry J. and Martha J. PLETCHER, of Howard townsh
ip, and was born on the old homestead farm on November 11, 1876, making h
is age 49 years, 4 months and 29 days.  His boyhood life was spent on the
   farm, doing his share of the work during the summer and attending school
   in winter time.  The fact that his ancestors had helped to establish the
   common schools in lower Bald Eagle valley, and that members of the famil
y had been teachers for generations, was an inspiration to the young man
to make good use of his school days and he progressed to that extent that
   while in his teens he tutored in some of the higher branches.  Completin
g his course in the common schools he secured a school in his home distri
ct and taught two years.  The thirst for more knowledge led him to enter
the Central State Normal, at Lock Haven, where he graduated in 1899.  He
was promptly elected supervising principal of the Blanchard High school w
here he remained eleven years, then was elected principal of the Howard H
igh school.  He taught there five years and in 1915 was appointed assista
nt county superintendent.  He filled this position for seven years and up
on retiring from that office was chosen as principal of the Snow Shoe Hig
h school.  The next year he was elected principal of the Milesburg High s
chool and was on his third year in that school.  All told twenty-nine yea
rs of his life had been devoted to school work.  Notwithstanding his inte
rest in school work he still retained his love for the farm, and just a w
eek before his death he told the writer that eight of his nine sons had e
ither worked for several years or are now working on farms.  Believing th
at good roads are a large factor in regular attendance at public schools
he always took an interest in the work of the road supervisors, and at hi
s death was chairman of the Centre County supervisors' association and ju
st recently elected president of the State association.  He was a faithfu
l member of the Methodist church at Howard and teacher of the men's bible
   class in the Sunday school, having taught the class the Sunday before be
ing taken ill.  He was a member of Blanchard lodge No. 427, I.O.O.F. and
the Masonic lodge of Bellefonte.  On June 22, 1897 he married Miss Sylvia
   E. SCHENCK who survives with the following children:  Mrs. Donald GARDNE
R of Howard; Ralph PLETCHER of Howard,; Hazel, Cecil, Merrill, Russel, Ra
ymond, Paul, Kenneth and Willard all at home, and Frederick in the U.S. A
rmy stationed at Camp Lewis in the State of Washington.  He also leaves o
ne sister and a brother, Miss Ada PLETCHER of Lock Haven, and Ellis who m
akes his home in Howard but who has employment as an engineer on a vessel
   on the Great Lakes and was ordered to report for service this week.  Fun
eral services were held in the Methodist church at Howard at two o'clock
on Wednesday afternoon by Rev. A.  Price, assisted by Rev. Smith, burial
being made in the Schenck cemetery." Centre County, Pennsylvania 1880 Newspaper Obits