04/16/1926 - Frederick Milford PLETCHER, one of the most formidable candidates for selection as county superintendent of public schools, passed away at his home in Howard at nine o'clock last Saturday morning as the result of an attack of uraemic poisoning. He became ill on Tuesday of last week while teaching in the Milesburg High school but finished his work for the day. On Wednesday morning he felt so badly that he decided to remain at home. His condition grew steadily worse and he died on Saturday morning. He was a son of Henry J. and Martha J. PLETCHER, of Howard township, and was born on the old homestead farm on November 11, 1876, making his age 49 years, 4 months and 29 days. His boyhood life was spent on the farm, doing his share of the work during the summer and attending school in winter time. The fact that his ancestors had helped to establish the common schools in lower Bald Eagle valley, and that members of the family had been teachers for generations, was an inspiration to the young man to make good use of his school days and he progressed to that extent that while in his teens he tutored in some of the higher branches. Completing his course in the common schools he secured a school in his home district and taught two years. The thirst for more knowledge led him to enter the Central State Normal, at Lock Haven, where he graduated in 1899. He was promptly elected supervising principal of the Blanchard High school where he remained eleven years, then was elected principal of the Howard High school. He taught there five years and in 1915 was appointed assistant county superintendent. He filled this position for seven years and up on retiring from that office was chosen as principal of the Snow Shoe High school. The next year he was elected principal of the Milesburg High school and was on his third year in that school. All told twenty-nine years of his life had been devoted to school work. Notwithstanding his inte rest in school work he still retained his love for the farm, and just a week before his death he told the writer that eight of his nine sons had either worked for several years or are now working on farms. Believing that good roads are a large factor in regular attendance at public schools he always took an interest in the work of the road supervisors, and at his death was chairman of the Centre County supervisors' association and just recently elected president of the State association. He was a faithful member of the Methodist church at Howard and teacher of the men's bible class in the Sunday school, having taught the class the Sunday before be ing taken ill. He was a member of Blanchard lodge No. 427, I.O.O.F. and the Masonic lodge of Bellefonte. On June 22, 1897 he married Miss Sylvia E. SCHENCK who survives with the following children: Mrs. Donald GARDNER of Howard; Ralph PLETCHER of Howard,; Hazel, Cecil, Merrill, Russell, Raymond, Paul, Kenneth and Willard all at home, and Frederick in the U.S. Army stationed at Camp Lewis in the State of Washington. He also leaves one sister and a brother, Miss Ada PLETCHER of Lock Haven, and Ellis who makes his home in Howard but who has employment as an engineer on a vessel on the Great Lakes and was ordered to report for service this week. Funeral services were held in the Methodist church at Howard at two o'clock on Wednesday afternoon by Rev. A. Price, assisted by Rev. Smith, burial being made in the Schenck cemetery.