Wilmer Lentz Daily

 

 

 

Wilmer Lentz Daily

22 Jul 1886 - 29 Oct 1947

 

 

 

Wilmer Lentz Daily was born to (Jacob) Bruner Daily and Fannie Lentz.  He married
Mary Day Mathews, daughter of Wakeman S. Mathews and Delilah Ann Hall.  He was
father to 4 children; Mildred Josephine Daily b. 20 Dec 1912  d. 14 Sep 1965, Francis (Bub) Irvin
Daily b. 18 Apr 1916  d. 16 Oct 1984, Lila Lee Daily b. 3 May 1921  d. 15 May 1997, and
Robert Mathew Daily b. 13 Feb 1924  d. 18 Apr 1990.

Wilmer owned his own business (Midway Auto Shop) in Midway, IN, now known as Clarksville.
Family members recall a night that Wilmer returned home with the days earnings from his shop.
He ran into the house and told Mary, his wife to get his rifle.  He then ran back outside and began
firing his rifle.  John Dillinger had followed him home with intentions of robbing him of his earnings.
Dillinger fled after Wilmer began firing at his vehicle.

Family stories report that Wilmer owned the first automobile in Clark Co., IN and built a truck so
sturdy that it could pull other vehicles from the muddiest bog. 

Wilmer was stricken with "elephantitis" of the leg.  In family photos, this is apparent.  Mary would have
to buy 2 pair of identical trousers, rip the seam from one leg, cut the leg from the identical pair, and
insert it into the other pair.  In his later years, he was unable to move around much, so the burden
of delivering supplies to the Clark County Farm Bureau fell on his 2 sons, Francis (Bub) and Robert.
He owned trucks that had to be driven out of state (usually Ohio and Illinois) to pick up supplies, then
driven back to Indiana and the supplies delivered.

Stories told by his grown children indicate that he was not an easy man to live with.  Many times he
refused to eat the supper that Mary had made because it was cold or just not cooked to his liking, so
he would knock all the dishes off the table, throw all the food away, and make Mary cook him
something fresh.  It is unknown if this was a result of his "condition" or not.  To this point, there
has been no reports of this type of behavior in the Daily males.

Wilmer was buried in New Chapel Cemetery in Utica Twp., Clark Co., IN.  There is some controversy
as to where, exactly, his remains lay.  Upon the death of his wife Mary, their son Robert was called
to the cemetery.  He was told that his father's remains were not located in the grave that is indicated.
Robert searched for Wilmer in the rain, using a long knife to poke the ground to see if he could
"hit" the concrete vault containing his father's remains to no avail.  It is believed that a driveway was
paved directly over his fathers remains.  His mother was laid to rest beside the military marker for
Wilmer and nothing has been done to find his remains.

 

 

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