An Obituary, a Plane Crash, and an Unknown Family Line

There are so many facets on our Hagenbuch family tree that remain to be documented, explored, and discussed. For example, in early January I saw an obituary for Mildred “Millie” (Clews) Hagenbuch (b. 1941, d. 2024) of Wichita, Kansas. Millie had worked as a secretary at Boeing and owned Millie’s Country Cake Shop.

The obituary noted that she was survived by a number of children and grandchildren, as well as her husband, Dan Hagenbuch. I wasn’t sure how this couple was related and, at the time, I wasn’t even aware of any Hagenbuch families living in Wichita. I began to research their line.

I eventually learned that Millie’s husband, Daniel “Dan” S. Hagenbuch, had moved to Kansas in 1949 with his mother, Virginia May (Perkins) Hagenbuch (b. 1925, d. 1995) when he was about three years old. According to the 1950 United States census, Virginia was a widow and the mother and son were living in Independence, KS with Virginia’s parents, Daniel and Cora Perkins. What had happened to Dan’s father, I wondered. After an hour or so of research, I had some answers.

Mildred “Millie” (Clews) Hagenbuch from her obituary. Credit: Legacy.com

Dan’s father, Merle Steward Hagenbuch, was born on May 13, 1919 near Allentown, Pennsylvania to Edgar H. (b. 1893) and Jennie A. (Gogel) Hagenbuch (b. 1893). Yet, neither Merle nor Edgar were documented in Beechroots, complicating my search for this family’s line. I went back one more generation to Edgar’s father, Daniel Stuart Hagenbuch (b. 1860). Unlike Dan, Merle, and Edgar, Daniel Stuart was recorded in Beechroots.

Now, I was able to place Dan and Millie on our Hagenbuch tree. Their line is as follows: Andreas (b. 1715) > Henry (b. 1737) > Henry II (b. 1786) > Reuben (b. 1825) > Daniel Stuart (b. 1860) > Edgar Harrison (b. 1892) > Merle Steward (b. 1919) > Daniel “Dan” S. (m. Mildred “Millie” Clews). Interestingly, the previous lineage contains a link—the descendants of Henry II—that was only recently confirmed by a 19th-century Sunday school book. Nevertheless, none of these details explained what had happened to Dan’s father, Merle. To determine that fact, I would have to start looking through newspaper archives. A series of articles published in early 1949, provided what I was searching for.

Virginia May Perkins from her high school yearbook, 1943

Merle had joined the U.S. Army in May of 1941 before the United States had entered World War II. He was sent to Independence, KS for basic training. It is here that he may have met Virginia May Perkins, whom he would later marry in 1945. One other interesting connection that the couple shared: They both had the same birth month and day—May 13th!

Eventually, Merle began training with the Army Air Forces in Arizona, where he completed his cadet training. In 1943, he finished his pilot’s training at Eagle Pass Army Air Field in Texas and was commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant in the 354th Fighter Group. He does not appear to have been sent overseas. Instead, he served as a pilot instructor for B-24s and B-29s during World War II. After the war, he joined the Air Force Reserve Corps, as well as worked at the Enameled Metal Strip Company in Allentown, PA.

Article from the Allentown “Morning Call” with Lt. Merle S. Hagenbuch on the left, February 17, 1949

On Tuesday, February 15, 1949, Lt. Merle S. Hagenbuch was piloting an AT-11, a type of Air Force trainer aircraft, from Washington D.C. to Pittsburgh, PA. He was flying with copilot Lt. William K. Simmers and radio operator S-Sgt. Norman Bogert. The three were taking part in a routine, training flight to learn how best to fly in low visibility conditions.

Unfortunately, their last radio communication came at 4:41PM, because a few minutes later the plane crashed into a mountain in western Pennsylvania. The three airmen were killed instantly. However, their condition would not be known until February 19th, when the site of the plane crash was identified near Johnstown, PA. Merle was only 29 years old when he died and was buried in Arlington Memorial Park, Lehigh County, PA. His parents, Edgar and Jeannie (Gogel) Hagenbuch, were later buried near him.

Daniel “Dan” S. Hagenbuch pictured as an instructor at the Wichita Collegiate School, 2000

Merle’s wife, Virginia, and young son, Dan, then left Pennsylvania to live in the place where Virginia had grown up—Independence, KS. She does not appear to have remarried. Virginia May (Perkins) Hagenbuch died on January 11, 1995 and is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Independence, KS. By the 1990s, Dan was married to Millie and the couple were living in Wichita. There Dan worked as auto tech instructor in the local school district. He retired in 2009.

There are so many people and stories in our Hagenbuch family tree that remain to be discovered. Thanks to the obituary for Mildred “Millie” (Clews) Hagenbuch, we are able to learn about her and her husband, Dan. But even more importantly, we are now able to tell the story of Dan’s father, Lt. Merle S. Hagenbuch, and his service before and after World War II.