South Boardman and the residents of the entire county were shocked Mon morning by the news of the sudden death of E.E. Aldridge, pioneer business man of South Boardman and Fife Lake, and one of the best known men in the county.
Death came very suddenly. He aided in fighting the fire which occurred in South Boardman Sun morning and attended the ball game in Kalkaska in the afternoon. No complaint of feeling ill was made until about a half hour before he passed away, which was about 4 Mon morning, from an attack of angina.
Mr. Aldridge was nearing 46 years of age and had spent about all his mature years in this county. He first engaged in business in Fife Lake 21 years ago and since that time, with the exception of a few years in which he was engaged in the lumber business, h has been in the mercantile business at South Boardman and Fife Lake. Of late years in addition to his grocery store in South Boardman, he also was interested in every other business enterprise in that village, and was a stockholder and director of the Citizens State Bank of Fife Lake.
The deceased has also been active in civic affairs and has held a number of township and village offices. This spring when the Kalkaska and Boardman Ball teams united as a team in the West Michigan Resort League, he was chosen manager of the team.
Funeral services were held Wed afternoon in the grove near South Boardman under the auspices of I.O.O.F and members from South Boardman and Kalkaska and Fife Lake were in attendance. It was probably the largest attended funeral ever held in the village, owing to his wide acquaintance and the universal respect and esteem in which he was held. Rev. Whittemore of the Fife Lake Methodist Church preached an eloquent funeral sermon. Interment was made in the Boardman Cemetery. The funeral was directed by Undertaker L.M. Clapp.
The deceased leaves a wife and two children, Norma and Gordon and two sisters, and a host of friends to mourn his departure.
The bereaved family have the deep sympathy of the entire community in their hour of affliction.
- The Leader and The Kalkaskian - 26 Jun 1924
