Obit: Sontag, George L. (1886 - 1946)

Transcriber: Ken Wood
Email: woodi1999@yahoo.com

Surnames: SONTAG DYER SLITER WALK BENZIK

----Sources: Marshfield News Herald 21 January 1946 page 2

Sontag, George L. (17 NOV 1886 - 20 Jan 1946)

RITES PLANNED FOR GEORGE L. SONTAG

Neillsville Man Had Been Registered Pharmacist For 55 Years

Neillsville--Funeral services for George Lewis Sontag, 79, prominent Neillsville pharmacist, who died at his home, 148 W. First street, Neillsville, early Saturday morning, will be held at the Neillsville Masonic Temple at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Burial will be in Neillsville cemetery. The body will be at the Georgas Funeral Home until 10 a.m. Wednesday and from then until the time of the funeral it will lie in state at the Masonic Temple. The deceased was born at Neillsville on Nov. 17, 1886 (sic-should be 1866 KJW), the son of Louis and Anna Sontag. He started work at the Sniteman Drug Store, which he was later to own, at the age of 12, working as a chore boy, carrying out ashes, sweeping, running errands, and performing other menial tasks.

Pharmaceutical Degree

After finishing high school at Neillsville, Sontag attended the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy where he graduated with the class of 1890. An active alumnus of that college, he was honored in 1940 by the Alumni Assocuation as a semi-centenialist.

Upon receiving his degree as a registered pharmacist, the deceased accepted employment at Deer Lodge, Mont., where he remained for a short time before accepting Mr. Sniteman's request that he return to Neillsville and work in his drug store.

He had been with the Sniteman Drug Company ever since, eventually buying into the business and becoming president of the organization after Mr. Sniteman's death in 1940. Dave Perry had been associated with him in the business.

Old Type Businessman

Residents of the Neillsville (sic) remember both Sniteman and Sontag as being prototypes of the old type American businessman. Thoughtful, respectable, their outstanding faith in humanity and honest dealings with people will long be remembered.

The late Mr. Sniteman encouraged local boys who entered his employment to continue their education, including the late owner, who in turn followed the same policy during his ownership.

Always civic minded, Sontag helped many local enterprises to flourish, including the furniture factory, the Dairy Exchange Bank, and the opera house under Maj. J. W. Hommel.

The deceased married Lottie Dyer at Chicago on Nov. 20, 1900. One daughter Jean, now Mrs. John Sliter of Neillsville, was born of this union.

In addition to his daughter, Sontag is survived by two grandchildren, and by two brothers, William Sontag of Minneapolis and Jule Sontag of St. Paul. Two sisters, Mrs. Carl Walk and Mrs. John Benzik, preceded him in death.

The deceased was affiliated with the Masonic Lodge, in which he had held membership for 45 years; and in the eastern Star, in which he had held membership 44 years.

 

 


© Every submission is protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.

 

Show your appreciation of this freely provided information by not copying it to any other site without our permission.

 

Become a Clark County History Buff

 

Report Broken Links

A site created and maintained by the Clark County History Buffs
and supported by your generous donations.

 

Webmasters: Leon Konieczny, Tanya Paschke,

Janet & Stan Schwarze, James W. Sternitzky,

Crystal Wendt & Al Wessel

 

CLARK CO. WI HISTORY HOME PAGE