Frank Alexander Butler, 53, plumber, died attempting to save Florence N. Isenhart, 84, housewife, during a tornado, Blackwell, Oklahoma, May 25, 1955. Following tornado warnings, Butler prepared to enter a storm-cellar with his wife and several neighbors. He urged Mrs. Isenhart, his wife’s mother who was not well, to join the others; but she refused to leave the house. After one of the neighbors declined to help him remove Mrs. Isenhart forcibly, Butler accompanied the others to the storm-cellar. As high winds became audible immediately preceding the tornado, Butler suddenly stated that he was going back into the house to get Mrs. Isenhart. Ignoring the protests of his wife and neighbors, Butler left the storm-cellar and made his way to the interior of the two-and-a-half-story frame house. He called to Mrs. Isenhart, who was in a bedroom on the ground floor. Just then the tornado struck the house and demolished it completely. The debris formed a partial bridge over Mrs. Isenhart, who sustained only minor injuries from which she recovered. The body of Butler was found in the wreckage six hours later. He had been killed instantly. 43644-4062
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43644-4062