Mrs. Wahfeld, Prominent in Peoria, Dies
Death Comes to Well Known Local Woman After Short Illness
Mrs. Freida Wahfeld, 35 years old, wife of Otto Wahfeld, vice president of
Wahfeld Manufacturing company, died of pneumonia at her home, 97? Barker avenue
at 6:10 o'clock last night. Mrs. Wahfeld had been ill for more than a week and
while her death was not unexpected, it came as a shock to her relatives and
friends. The family had moved into their new home but a short time ago.
She was born in Davenport, Iowa, September 27, 1887,
the daughter of Rudolph and Augusta Walner. Her father died when she was a young
girl and together with her mother she moved to Peoria on the spring of 1908. She
married Mr. Wahfeld in this city September 25, 1908 and to this union two
children were born, James and Willis, both of whom survive.
Mrs. Wahfeld was an accomplished pianist, having
studied music after her graduation from Davenport high school. She was deeply
devoted to her family and her home life was beautiful, portraying the high
ideals that pervaded her entire life.
She is survived by her mother, her husband and two
children.
Funeral services will be announced later.
(The Peoria Transcript, Feb. 9, 1923, submitted by Janine
Crandell)
Sculptor of Capital Lincoln Statue
Funeral services
for Joseph Petarde, 76 years old, 623 Fairholm Ave. professional sculptor, who
died at 5:25 p. m. yesterday at St. Francis hospital, will be held at 8:30 a. m.
Monday from the home to St. Peter's church at 9 o'clock. The Rev. E. Kelley will
officiate. Interment will be in Springdale cemetery. Friends will be received at
the home Sunday afternoon and evening with the recitation of the Rosary at 8
p.m.
Mr. Petarde, a native of Rome, Italy, was widely known
throughout his vicinity for his sculpture. His statue of Abraham Lincoln stands
in the statehouse square at Springfield. His children all graduated from Kingman
school and on June 6, 1935, Mr. Petarde presented the school with a replica of
the Lincoln statue in Springfield.
He had lived in Peoria since he came to the United
States at the age of 15 years. He was married 55 years ago to Hannah Partridge,
who died in June, 1932 [Jun 6, 1932]. He was a member of St. Peter's Catholic
church.
Surviving are two sons: Clyde Petarde, Bloomington,
Ill. and Romeo Petarde, Peoria; four daughters, Mrs. L. M. Shay, Pekin, and Mrs.
Fred C. Pottoff, Mrs. Nelson Harrick and Mrs. William Hoensellaar, all of
Peoria; 10 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Three brothers and a
sister preceded him in death. (The Peoria Journal-Transcript,
Friday, Feb. 13, 1942, submitted by Janine Crandell)
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Backward
Glance:Peoria's Brazen Sculptor
(written by Janine Crandell & published in the Jubilee Advocate in 2005)
On an unassuming street in the Averyville neighborhood
is a house over one hundred years old with remarkable statues and intricate
artwork. What makes this house on Fairholm Street even more remarkable is the
history behind it.
Joseph Petardi, born in Rome, Italy, in 1866, came from
a family of stone carvers. When he was only five years old, Joseph carved his
first stone sculpture, a little stone imp. At the age of thirteen, Joseph left
home for fear of retribution when he accidentally damaged a marble sculpture. He
was eventually caught and returned home. Then, when Joseph was seventeen, he
left home again and went to Paris, France. While in Paris, Joseph carved saint
figures for various churches, according to a 1926 newspaper interview.
Joseph didn’t live in Paris long; he soon left for New
York City and found a job with a bridge building company. One of his assigned
jobs with this company was to cut stone for the bridge pilings of the Upper Free
Bridge (just north of the present-day McCluggage Bridge) in Peoria. During the
time Joseph worked on this project, he stayed at the residence of Alexander and
Margaret Partridge, who had given the land for this new bridge. Alexander
Partridge, the first ferry boat owner in the area, had a daughter, Hannah, who
later married Joseph Petardi.
Later in life, Joseph Petardi changed his last name to
Petarde, perhaps in an effort to match other Petardes living in the area.
Hannah and Joseph Petarde had eight children, six of
whom reached adulthood. Of all their children, only one son, Clyde, followed in
his father’s footsteps. Joseph always stressed education for his children with
special attention to the study of music. Joseph taught himself to play the
accordion and the mandolin. During the Depression, as their main source of
income, Clyde and his family performed as the
“Petarde Family Orchestra” at different establishments in central Illinois.
The home mentioned earlier in this article was actually
Joseph and Hannah’s second home, the first being at 637 Fairholm. It took Joseph
and Clyde years to complete the carvings, which can be seen at 623 Fairholm.
They completed their work in sections, culminating with the installation of
three full-length figures at the corners of the porch. One depicted Atlas
holding up his loincloth and the other two were semi-nude female figures. A 1922
newspaper article recounted the furor and shock this event caused in Joseph’s
neighborhood. Mrs. Elsie Crandell, who lived next door to the Petardes,
mentioned Mrs. Petarde refused to use the front door as a protest to the
scantily clad figures.
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Many of the records proving Petarde’s accomplishments
no longer exist but we do know he carved stone for the G. A. R. Hall, the old
Post Office and courthouse, the Dime Savings and Trust Company and several
private homes. Many cities that have Petarde’s stone carvings include Chicago,
Springfield, Bloomington, Champaign, Galesburg, Normal and cities in other
states.
When Hannah’s parents died, Joseph carved life-size
tombstone statues for them in a cemetery south of Spring Bay. Joseph also carved
two beautiful tombstones located in the Springdale cemetery. One is the
elaborate LaRocca monument and the other is Eugene Crandell’s monument, which
was recently vandalized and then restored by Springdale. Joseph had a workshop
in his backyard and while working on his projects at home, people would stop by
and watch him carve.
Even though Joseph carved exquisite tombstones for
others, he and his wife have a simple understated stone and are buried in the
Springdale Cemetery.
