Elmer was born 23 May 1891 at Missoula, Montana to Jacob and Katherine Scharf Spoeri, emigrants from Germany. The family moved several times before coming to Ashland, Wisconsin in 1902 where he grew to adulthood. He found employment with the Duluth, Missabe, and Iron Range Rail Road as an accountant and married Mary Frances Burrows in 1915. They remained in Duluth for the rest of their lives. Elmer was very active in local organizations, including YMCA, Boy Scouts and water safety instructor for the Rail Road's camp House north of Two Harbors. He taught swimming to Army recruits in the event they landed in water with full gear and he entertained crowds with his water escape trick where he was locked into a canvas bag and pushed into the water and returned to the surface minutes later towing the bag. He had a cabin on Bassett Lake where many friends and relatives were invited for fishing, swimming and homemade ice cream. Late in life he became disoriented and had to be moved to Moose Lake State Hospital where he died 24 July 1970.
Elmer was born 23 May 1891 at Missoula, Montana to Jacob and Katherine Scharf Spoeri, emigrants from Germany. The family moved several times before coming to Ashland, Wisconsin in 1902 where he grew to adulthood. He found employment with the Duluth, Missabe, and Iron Range Rail Road as an accountant and married Mary Frances Burrows in 1915. They remained in Duluth for the rest of their lives. Elmer was very active in local organizations, including YMCA, Boy Scouts and water safety instructor for the Rail Road's camp House north of Two Harbors. He taught swimming to Army recruits in the event they landed in water with full gear and he entertained crowds with his water escape trick where he was locked into a canvas bag and pushed into the water and returned to the surface minutes later towing the bag. He had a cabin on Bassett Lake where many friends and relatives were invited for fishing, swimming and homemade ice cream. Late in life he became disoriented and had to be moved to Moose Lake State Hospital where he died 24 July 1970.
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