Palm Sunday Tornado in Marshall County

Last Saturday marked the 55th anniversary of the Palm Sunday Tornado outbreak that tore through the Midwest.  One of those tornadoes cut a path northeast through the top of Marshall County, entering from Koontz Lake and exiting as it crossed Old U.S. 31 north of LaPaz.  Then-Marshall County Sheriff Harold King said he saw the tornado "on its way toward the LaPaz area where it touched down, causing death, injury and destruction."  He said he drove into the direction of the town "to get there to warn the people" but in a short time "the twister cross the road ahead 8-10 blocks."

Marshall County's private damage estimate was $1.5 million and damage to roads and debris removed added another $200k to that number.  There were "only" two deaths of county residents.  Findley Patterson's farmhouse, southwest of LaPaz, disintegrated under the weight of the twister and claimed his life.  Bob Halt watched this unfold and put his family in his car to attempt to drive out of the path, but the tornado blew apart a barn nearby and the timbers tore through the automobile, killing his wife and injuring their daughter.  Two children, 3 and 8, from the Clark Farm in St. Joseph County were taken to Bremen Hospital where they died from their injuries.  There were 12 in the house and four died.  Six-year old Richard Clark ran for help since he was the only one who was able to escape the debris.

Possibly the most extensive damage in the county was done where the tornado crossed Old U.S. 31 north of LaPaz at County Line Road.  The County Line Brethren Church, on the east side of the highway, had just dismissed a gathering prior to the twister's arrival.  It blew the small church apart.  LaVille High School, under construction on the west side of the highway, suffered the collapse of a 16" thick masonry wall, over 100' long, and materials including blueprints were strewn thousands of feet.  The bricks from the building "appeared like birds in the air" said the late Richard Mangus, who watched the event unfold.  Several homes at this intersection were destroyed by the tornado, including the King, Hale, and Gillis homes.  Mrs. Gillis was found laying in a field a distance from her home.

I was born more than three years after this tragic event that left such a devastating mark on the psyche of those who lived through it.  The Halts and the Hales were frequent customers of ours at the truck stop, and my parents often retold the tale of being at my grandparents' home on 1st Road and watching the tornado pass to the north east of LaPaz.  I have often thought that the event should be memorialized at the intersection of Old U.S. 31/Michigan Road and County Line Road.  In all, 137 Hoosiers lost their lives that day.  To put this into perspective, over 500 Hoosiers have now lost their lives to the corona-virus in just a few weeks.

The following are articles and photos (sorry for the quality) taken from the South Bend Tribune April 12, 1965.  I hope that they load easily for you to read.  My focus was the impact on Marshall County.