TUMA, PFC Donald Gene

1935 - 1955  (20 years)

• Name	TUMA, Donald Gene
  Prefix	PFC
  Birth	10 Oct 1935	Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States   [1, 2]
  	Address: Town of Gibson
  Gender	Male
  Military	12 Jan 1954	United States Air Force   [1, 2]
  	Korean War, Harbor Craft 24th Inf., 34th Service Co. homeward bound for the holidays from Korean service to be killed Friday when a chartered airliner crashed after a takeoff from Seattle, Wash.
  	Address: Korean War
  Accident	Nov 1955  [3]
  	Plane Craash
  	Donald G. Tuma Among Soldiers Killed In Crash County Family Had Talked by Telephone With Korea Returnee TWO RIVERS – Pfc. Donald G. Tuma, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. Doolan Tuma of Rt. 2, Two Rivers, residing just north of Larrabee on Highway Q, was among 27 soldiers homeward bound for the holidays from Korean service to be killed Friday when a chartered airliner crashed after a takeoff from Seattle, Wash. Tuma was listed among the 27 dead in, an Associated Press dispatch from Seattle. The Tuma family said Saturday morning that it received a call Friday from the young soldier that he had arrived in Seattle and was planning to fly home immediately. Up to 11 a.m. Saturday the family received no official government announcement of the youth’s death, however. Tuma entered the service nearly two years ago and served more than 18 months with the U. S. Army in Korea. He would have had another year to serve before his discharge. Donald Tuma was born in the Town of Gibson on Oct. 10, 1935, and was graduated from Mishicot High School with the class of 1953. In high school he took an active part in the Future Farmers of America program. Besides his parents he leaves two sisters, Janice and Joanne at home, and six brothers, James of Manitowoc and Richard, Wayne, Gregory, Peter and Paul Tuma on the home farm. Experts Study Crash SEATTLE (AP) – Government investigators met here today to begin the work of piecing together the broken fragments of a wrecked airliner and the stories of the people who saw it die. This much they knew. Twenty-seven men died when a big Peninsular Air Transport Co., plane bounced to explosive destruction early yesterday in the backyard of a suburban home. And 47 other persons, including a woman and three small children, survived. There were some discrepancies in the accounts of eyewitnesses and men who were in the plane – as passengers or pilots. And the only sizable remaining piece of the once large DC4 is its tail surface, still resting in a charred backyard amidst a rubble of melted and twisted metal. The investigators said they had no preconceived notions what caused the Miami-based plane to falter two miles south of Boeing Field, its takeoff point, hit a tree, a utility pole, and a garage and then break up and burn in the backyard of the Colin Dearing home. But sabotage, which caused the destruction of a United Air Lines plane near Longmont, Colo., with a loss of 44 lives carry this month, seemed unlikely to David Nelson, supervising agent for the Seattle office of the Civil Aeronautics Administration. ***** Engine Trouble Reported Richard D. Auerbach, special agent incharge of the Seattle Federal Bureau of Investigation Office, said his office had found nothing to indicate the likelihood of sabotage. Two men who watched the plane’s final few yards of flight, said its engines were failing and one had even quit. E. J. Rice who was close enough to feel the heat of the flames when the plane’s heavily loaded gas tanks exploded with dreadful results said the engines were “poppin’ and sputtering.” Herbert Gardiner said one of the engines sounded flat and no exhaust was visible from another. Fred Hall, copilot from Miami, agreed one engine had given trouble "right after the takeoff.” But he said, “the other three engines were functioning perfectly. That's enough to get that type of plane up without too much trouble." He couldn’t say, though, why the plane began to settle in a matter of seconds after the takeoff instead of gaining the altitude it needed so badly to clear the hill south of the runway.
  Death	18 Nov 1955	Seattle, King, Washington, United States   [3]
  Funeral	1 Dec 1955	Mishicot, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States   [4]
  	Address: Holy Cross Catholic Church
  	Wednesday Service for Crash Victim MISHICOT-Military funeral rites for Pfc. Donald G. Tuma, 20-year-old soldier, son of Mr. and Mrs. Doolan Tuma, R.2, Two Rivers, will be held here Wednesday morning. Tuma, one of a family of nine children, was among 27 killed Nov. 18 in the fiery crash of an eastbound airliner in a suburban residental district only two miles from its Boeing Field take-off point. Forty-seven other persons survived the crash. The Manitowoc County soldier, on his way home for a Thanksgiving furlough after 18 months in Korea, had called his parents upon arrival in Seattle only a day before the fatal crash, informing them of his intention to fly home immediately. With Tuma's body scheduled to arrive in Manitowoc today, the requiem mass is planned for Holy Cross Catholic Church, Mishicot, at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The Rev. George Beth, pastor, will be the celebrant. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery. The mass will follow brief rites at the Specht Funeral Home here. A graveside military service will be conducted by members of the local Kempen-Staudinger-Terens Post 7753, Veterans of Foreigh Wars. Friends may call at the funeral home from 7 o'clock this evening. Born in Two Rivers, Oct. 10, 1935, Tuma moved with his parents to a town of Gibson farm when a boy of six. He graduated from Mishicot High School in 1953 and while at school was active if in Future Farmers of America. He entered the military service two years ago and would have had another year to service before discharge. Surviving, in addition to his parents, are two sisters, the Misses Janice and Joanne, both at home; and six brothers, James, Rt. 2, Manitowoc, and Richard, Wayne, Gregory, Peter and Paul, all at home. ******** Likely from a different paper Because of the delay in the arrival of the casket, due to a rock slide on state of Washington railroad tracks, funeral services for Pfc. Donald G. Tuma, 20, Town of Gibson, who was killed in a crash of an Army transport plane at Seattle, Wash., on Nov. 18, will be held at Mishicot Thursday morning instead of Wednesday. Military services, to be conducted by the Kempen-Staudinger-Terens Post 7755, VFW, Mishicot, will be held at 9:30 a.m. at the Specht Funeral Home, Mishicot, and at 10 a.m. at Holy Cross Catholic Church, Mishicot. The Rev. George Beth will officiate and interment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Mishicot. Friends may call at the funeral home after 7 p.m. Tuesday where the Rosary will be recited at 8 p.m. Tuesday and 8 p.m. Wednesday. (No newspaper named or date)
  Burial	Mishicot, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States   [1, 2]
  	Address: Mishicot Public Cemetery/Holy Cross Cemetery
  	Name: Donald G Tuma Birth Date:10 Oct 1935 Service Number: RA 16 454 898 Unit: Harbor Craft 24th Inf, 34th Service Co. Unagsgd organ over, Inf Regt Enlistment Date: 12 Jan 1954 Death Date: 18 Nov 1955 Cemetery: Holy Cross Cemetery Cemetery Location: Mishicot, Wisconsin, USA
  		Tuma - Donald Gene (PFC) Headstone not yet located
  Person ID	I437	Jindra and Chaloupka Family Trees
  Last Modified	20 Jul 2024

  
  

  Father	TUMA, Doolan Daniel,   b. 19 Jun 1906, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States d. 15 Jul 1977, Two Rivers, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States (Age 71 years)
  Mother	SCHWOERER, Clara,   b. 7 Jun 1906, Saint Nazianz, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States d. 7 Feb 1992, Manitowoc, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States (Age 85 years)
  Marriage	18 May 1935	Manitowoc, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States   [5, 6, 7]
  	Address: Sacred Heart Catholic Church
  Family ID	F145	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Donald died in a plane crash returning on Christmas leave from the Korean War. Manitowoc Herald Times November 18, 1955 Donald G. Tuma Among Soldiers Killed In Crash County Family Had Talked by Telephone With Korea Returnee TWO RIVERS - Pfc. Donald G. Tuma, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. Doolan Tuma of Rt. 2, Two Rivers, residing just north of Larrabee on Highway Q, was among 27 soldiers homeward bound for the holidays from Korean service to be killed Friday when a chartered airliner crashed after a takeoff from Seattle, Wash. Tuma was listed among the 27 dead in an Associated Press dispatch from Seattle. The Tuma family said Saturday morning that it received a call Friday from the young soldier that he had arrived in Seattle and was planning to fly home immediately. Up to 11 a.m. Saturday the family received no official government announcement of the youth's death, however. Tuma entered the service nearly two years ago and served more than 18 months with the U. S. Army in Korea. He would have had another year to serve before his discharge. Donald Tuma was born in the Town of Gibson on Oct. 10, 1935, and was graduated from Mishicot High School with the class of 1953. In high school he took an active part in the Future Farmers of America program. Besides his parents he leaves two sisters, Janice and Joanne at home, and six brothers, James of Manitowoc arid Richard, Wayne, Gregory, Peter and Paul Tuma on the home farm. SEATTLE (AP) Government investigators met here today to begin the work of piecing together the broken fragments of a wrecked airliner and the stories of the people who saw it die. This much they knew. Twenty-seven men died when a big Peninsular Air Transport Co., plane bounced to explosive destruction early yesterday in the backyard of a suburban home. And 47 other persons, including a woman and three small children, survived. There were some discrepancies in the accounts of eyewitnesses and men who were in the plane as passengers or pilots. And the only sizable remaining piece of the once large DC4 is its tail surface, still resting in a charred backyard amidst a rubble of melted and twisted metal. The investigators said they had no preconceived notions what caused the Miami-based plane to falter two miles south of Boeing Field, its takeoff point, hit a tree, a utility pole, and a garage and then break up and burn in the backyard of the Colin Dearing home. But sabotage, which caused the destruction of a United Air Lines plane near Longmont, Colo., with a loss of 44 lives carry this month, seemed unlikely to David Nelson, supervising agent for the Seattle office of the Civil Aeronautics Administration. Engine Trouble Reported Richard D. Auerbach, special agent in charge of the Seattle Federal Bureau of Investigation Office, said his office had found nothing to indicate the likelihood of sabotage. Two men who watched the plane's final few yards of flight, said its engines were failing and one had even quit. E. J. Rice who was close enough to feel the heat of the flames when the plane's heavily loaded gas tanks exploded with dreadful results said the engines were "poppin' and sputtering." Herbert Gardiner said one of the engines sounded flat and no exhaust was visible from another. Fred Hall, copilot from Miami, agreed one engine had given trouble "right after the takeoff." But he said, "the other three engines were functioning perfectly. That's enough to get that type of plane up without too much trouble." He couldn't say, though, why the plane began to settle in a matter of seconds after the takeoff instead of gaining the altitude it needed so badly to clear the hill south of the runway.

  
  

• Sources

  [S8] Newspaper - Wisconsin - Manitowoc Herald Times - 2Manitowoc, Donald G. Tuma Among Soldiers Killed in Crash; News/obituary; 18 November 1955; viewed online; 23 January 2023; https://www.2manitowoc.com/63Tobit.html. PFC. DONALD G. TUMA Donald G. Tuma Among Soldiers Killed In Crash County Family Had Talked by Telephone With Korea Returnee TWO RIVERS – Pfc. Donald G. Tuma, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. Doolan Tuma of Rt. 2, Two Rivers, residing just north of Larrabee on Highway Q, was among 27 soldiers homeward bound for the holidays from Korean service to be killed Friday when a chartered airliner crashed after a takeoff from Seattle, Wash. Tuma was listed among the 27 dead in, an Associated Press dispatch from Seattle. The Tuma family said Saturday morning that it received a call Friday from the young soldier that he had arrived in Seattle and was planning to fly home immediately. Up to 11 a.m. Saturday the family received no official government announcement of the youth’s death, however. Tuma entered the service nearly two years ago and served more than 18 months with the U. S. Army in Korea. He would have had another year to serve before his discharge. Donald Tuma was born in the Town of Gibson on Oct. 10, 1935, and was graduated from Mishicot High School with the class of 1953. In high school he took an active part in the Future Farmers of America program. Besides his parents he leaves two sisters, Janice and Joanne at home, and six brothers, James of Manitowoc and Richard, Wayne, Gregory, Peter and Paul Tuma on the home farm. Manitowoc Herald Times, November 18, 1955 [S208] Military - United States Headstone Applications for Military Veterans 1925-1970 - Ancestry.com, viewed and clipped; 23 January 2023; Donald G. Tuma. [S378] Newspaper - Wisconsin - Manitowoc Herald News, Donald G. Tuma Among Soldiers Killed in Crash; News article/obituary; 19 November 1955; saved clipping (partial); 23 January 2023. [S251] Newspaper - Wisconsin - Sheboygan Press - Newspaper Archive, Wednesday Service for Crash Victim; funeral notice; 28 November 1955; page 14; viewed and clipped; 23 January 2023; newspapers.com. [S112] Newspaper - Wisconsin - Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter - 2manitowoc.com, obituary; 16 July 1977; viewed online; 14 January 2023. Tuma Doolan Tuma, 71, of Larrabee, Rt. 2, Two Rivers, died Friday in Two Rivers Community Hospital. Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Monday in Lambert Funeral Home and 10: 30 a.m. in Holy Cross Catholic Church, Mishicot. The Rev. Earl Brouchoud will officiate and burial will be in the parish cemetery. Mr. Tuma was born June 9, 1909 son of the late Wenzel and Anna Jindra Tuma. He married Clara Schwoerer May 18, 1935, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Manitowoc. Mr. Tuma was a lifetime farmer and also had worked at Hamilton Industries and Manitowoc Shipbuilding Inc. He was past treasurer of Town of Gibson Larrabee School and Mishicot Community School, and Larrabee-Francis Creek Sportsmen's Club. He also was a member of the Holy Name Society and a trustee of Holy Cross Cemetery Assoc. Survivors include his wife, five sons, James of Francis Creek, Richard of Manitowoc and Gregory, Peter and Paul of Larrabee; two daughters, Mrs. Del (Janice) Bredeman of Racine and Mrs. Donald (JoAnne) Luckow of Francis Creek; a brother, Louis of Montana; two sisters, Mrs. Lillian Radey and Mrs. Vernon (Violet) Mirkes of Manitowoc and 16 grandchildren. Two sons, Donald and Wayne, three brothers and two sisters preceded him in death. Friends may call in Lambert Funeral Home after 3 p.m. Sunday where a memorial will be at 8 p.m. [S198] Vital Records - Wisconsin, U.S. Marriage Records, 1820-2004 - Ancestry, viewed online; 21 January 2023; Doolan Tuma and Clara Schwoerer marriage. [S112] Newspaper - Wisconsin - Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter - 2manitowoc.com, Clara Tuma, 1992; obituary; 8 February 1992; viewed online; 2manitowoc.com. CLARA TUMA Mrs. Clara M. Tuma, age 85, of 103 Lilac Drive, Francis Creek, died Friday morning, February 7, 1992, at Holy Family Memorial Medical Center following a courageous battle with cancer. Clara is now resting in peace. The Mass of Chrisitan Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Anne's Catholic Church, Francis Creek. Rev. Donald Schneider officiating with burial at Holy Cross Cemetery, Mishicot. She was born on June 7, 1906 at St. Nazianz, daughter of the late Anton and Christina Kaltenbrun Schwoerer. She married Doolan Tuma on May 18, 1935 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Manitowoc. Clara farmed with her husband in Larrabee until his death in 1977. She then moved to Francis Creek. She was a member of St. Anne's Catholic Church, an honorary member of the St. Anne and Holy Cross Altar Society. She was a member of the St. Anne Mission Ladies, the Catholic Knights and the Mishicot V.F.W. Ladies Auxiliary Post No. 7753. She is survived by five sons and daughters-in-law, James and LaVerne Tuma of Francis Creek, Richard and Janet Tuma of Manitowoc, Greg and Bobbi Tuma of Clover, Peter and Nancy Tuma and Paul and Joy Tuma all of Larrabee; two daughters and sons- in-law, Janice and Del Bredemann of Racine and JoAnn and Donald Luckow of Francis Creek; three sisters, Mrs. Mary Steffen and Mrs. Kate Knier of School Hill, Mrs. Bertha Heinzen of St. Nazianz; 20 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by two sons, Donald and Wayne; one sister, Armella Roell and three brothers, Henry, Michael and William Schwoerer. Friends may call at the Lambert Funeral Home, Mishicot from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday. There will be a prayer service at 7 p.m. Sunday. Herald Times Reporter, February 8, 1992 P. B6 * ******* (Clara M./07 Jun 1906/07 Feb 1992/SSDI)