Mary Alice Kleckner (1938 - 1953)

Born 27 Sep 1938 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois, United States

Ancestors

Died 22 Apr 1953 at age 14 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois, United States

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Biography

Mary Kleckner died young.

Mary Kleckner is buried in Guilford Union Cemetery, Winnebago County, Illinois.

Mary was born in 1938. She was the daughter of Clarence Kleckner and Margaret Reid. ^[1]

In October of 1951, all three of the Kleckner children were struck with Polio. Five year old Robert had a mild case and recovered in a few weeks. Mary was paralyzed from the neck down and required an iron lung. In Dec, 1951, Jean and Mary were sent to St. Anthony's Hospital in Chicago. The move required a special van equipped with a generator to accommodate Mary's iron lung. The move took place during a blizzard. Police escorted the van over the icy streets to the hospital. ^[2]

Jean recovered. Mary returned home in March of 1952, still in an iron lung. In June there was a storm that caused a power outage which put her life in jeopardy. Police, firemen, and power company crews came and hand pumped the iron lung for two and half hours. ^[3]

In October of that year, Mary had to be transported again to St. Anthony's. She came home again in January of 1953, then had to have kidney surgery in March of that year.

She died April 22, 1953. ^[4]

She was 14 years old.

Gravestone Transcription

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KWTC-M2H : accessed 2 September 2018), Mary Alise Kleckner in household of Clarence W Kleckner, Ward 4, Rockford, Rockford Township, Winnebago, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 101-32A, sheet 15A, line 24, family 356, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 913.
2. ↑ Morning Star (Rockford, IL) 18 December 1951, page 2 GenealogyBank: accessed 2 September 2018
3. ↑ Morning Star (Rockford, IL) 13 June 1952, page 2 GenealogyBank: accessed 2 September 2018
4. ↑ Ancestry Record 5397 #105847 (requires subscription). Original data: Winnebago County Clerk, comp. Winnebago County Clerk Genealogy Records. Winnebago, IL: Winnebago County Clerk, 2008.

   Name: Mary Alice Kleckner

   Death Date: 22 Apr 1953

• Find A Grave: Memorial #102793421 : accessed 02 September 2018), memorial page for Mary Alice Kleckner (27 Sep 1938–22 Apr 1953), citing Guilford Union Cemetery, Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois, USA ; Maintained by Charles Drewes (contributor 47310053) .