Reports of my death…

…have been greatly exaggerated.

My last name is unusual and has been a mixed blessing. It’s rather funny sounding and I got teased about it when I was a child, but it’s also memorable, so it’s probably a good thing that people remember your name. There aren’t too many Bubberses in the world, so when you encounter one, they are probably related to me in some way, but how isn’t always clear. All I know for sure is that my grandparents came to America from Germany after World War I. Some years ago, a Bubbers, in search of other Bubberses, contacted my father. That branch of the family, possibly a forgotten uncle of my grandfather’s, had emigrated much earlier and had settled in South Dakota. There are now descendants of that family scattered around the Midwest and in Florida, none of whom we knew about until about twenty years ago.

My first name comes from my father and I had always assumed he had gotten from his mother, Frieda.

Occasionally, I Google myself to see how the various things I’ve published on the web show up in search indexes. Last night, I found a link to the obituary of a certain “Fred Bubbers,” who lived and died in South Dakota in the early part of the last century. He probably would have been born in America at about the same time as my grandfather was born in Germany. To give credit where credit is due, the website containing the obituary is Genealogy.com.

I don’t know how I’m actually related to this Mr. Bubbers, but one thing is for sure. Ich bin ein klutz.

Here it is, in its original style, the obituary of Mr. Fred Bubbers:

FRED BUBBERS SUMMONED

This community received a shock, such as it never before this had, when word reached us that Fred Bubbers was dead as a result of an accidental gun shot wound, received while hunting ducks at the lake last Sunday afternoon. The tragedy happened just as Mr. Bubbers was stepping up on the bank of the creek at the south end of the lake. He had waded across a shallow place and had raised his gum barrel to keep it out of the water. While he was in the act of taking a step with his right foot the left foot slipped back, throwing his body forward just enough to place the muzzle of the gun in a position just above and back of the right knee as the gun was being carried under the left arm. While in this position, the hammer accidentally slipped, discharging the gun, the load of shot entering the leg just back of the knee severing a large artery which resulted in Mr. Bubbers death within a period of four minutes.


The deceased was born in Rozellville, Wis., August 22, 1885. In 1910 he came to South Dakota where he purchased a relinquishment and has made this his home ever since. In 1915 he was united in marriage to Miss Molly Robinson of Washington, D. C. His unexpected departure is mourned by his heart-broken wife, his aged father, one sister and three brothers of which John and Ernest are residents of this community.
The community extends their sympathy to the bereaved family in their hour of sorrow.

Funeral services were held at the Auditorium Wednesday afternoon, Rev. Schaar officiating and his respect that he was held in was shown by the unusual large gathering that followed his last remains to the Morristown cemetery where interment was made.

With all due respect to anyone who knew Mr. Bubbers and may still  mourn his loss, “Mr. Bubbers, meet Mr. Darwin.”

© 2008 – 2011, Fred Bubbers. All rights reserved.

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