Christian married CRITTENDEN, Rena B on 5 Mar 1914. Rena (daughter of CRITTENDEN, Frank K and OSWALD, Matilda A) was born in 1887 in Williamsville, Erie County, NY; died on 29 May 1962 in General Hospital, Buffalo, Erie County, NY; was buried in Harris Hill Cemetery, Clarence, Erie County, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Witmer, Robert Russell

88, of North Tonawanda, Niagara County, NY, October 16, 2003, beloved husband of Dorothy (nee Bennett) Witmer of Grand Island, Erie County, NY; loving father of David Witmer of Youngstown, NY and Mark Witmer of Geneva, NY; brother of Lois Killian of Akron, Erie County, NY. Interment Services will be held in Elmlawn Cemetery Saturday at 10:30 AM. Friends invited. Mr. Witmer was an WW-II U.S. Army veteran, a retiree from the Corps of Engineers, where he worked on the St. Lawrence Seaway Project and the stopping of the American Falls. Arrangements by BRUNNER FUNERAL HOME.
Published in the Buffalo News on 10/17/2003.

Family/Spouse: BENNETT, Dorothy. Dorothy (daughter of BENNETT, Christopher and BLACK, Isabelle K) was born on 18 Aug 1912 in New York; died on 10 Jun 2007 in Grand Island, Erie County, NY; was buried in Elmlawn Cemetery, Town of Tonawanda, Erie County, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: ROBINSON, Betty J. Betty (daughter of ROBINSON, Burton P and Florence G) was born on 16 Jan 1919 in New York; died on 2 Nov 1990 in Angola, Erie County, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: PAWLEY, Wallace. Wallace was born on 24 Jan 1908; died in Apr 1974 in Sacramento, Sacramento County, CA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

North Tonawanda NY Evening News - 5/29/1970

Investigators yesterday found
evidence of other previously un
reported fires at the site of a fa-
tal fire in the Town of Tona-
wanda.
In their continuing investigation
into yesterday's death of
Mrs. Marjorie a. Ryckman, 46,
of 204 Thorncliff Road, alone
inside her home,, Town police
indicated that evidence found
thus far appeared to rule out
foul play by an intruder.
On a stairway leading to the
basement, an empty benzine
can was discovered. This was
in an area where there was no
fire. and a short distance from
a chair in the fire area there
was a quart can of charcoal
lighter fluid.
In the basement part of the
house, bags containing burned
personal items also were dis-
covered.
Three Brighton fire fighters
had to kick open a door of the
1-1/2 story frame house, where
Mrs.. Ryckman's body was
found shortly after 7:20 a.m.,
sprawled over a cedar chest
and almost in reach of the front
door.
Police disclosed that an autop-
sy performed at the Erie
County morgue indicated that
Mrs. Ryckman apparently had
died of asphyxiation.
"At this point," Det. Capt.
Jack Morris said, "results of
laboratory tests are not yet
available. But we are led to
believe this death was ac-
cidental and not by foul play.
There were no bruises on the
dead woman's body."
Police and firemen said the
head and upper part of the body
were "badly burned."
The fire itself broke out in a
small alcove on the south side of
the house at the living room
corner. The cedar chest was
located about three feet from
the front door.
Brighton Fire Chief James A.
Mooney has not yet listed a
cause of the fire that resulted
in Mrs. Wyckman's death and
$2,500 damage to her home.
Arson Dets. Kenneth A. Swee-
ney and Louis H. O'Quinn how-
ever, examined the contents of
the cedar chest which was
partially filled with brown
paper soaked in "what smelled
like benzine" to the officers.
A silver Zippo lighter in open
position was atop the brown
paper. There was some scorch-
ing on the inside walls of the
chest. An overstuffed chair
that had been pushed away from
the chest was partially burned.
But inspection of other parts
of the Ryckman house re-
vealed what appeared to be
evidence of earlier fires. The
fatal fire was confined to the
main floor of the Ryckman
house.
In the basement were three
brown paper bags. These
contained a jewerly box, a
Bible, a family ledger, a scrap-
book and personal items.
While the contents of the bags
were partially burned, the bags
were not burned in any way.
The items burned, investiga-
tors revealed, apparently were
tied in with a happier period of
the dead woman's life.
Lawrence Ryckman, 1000
West Ave., Buffalo, Mrs.
Ryckman's husband, said the
couple had been married about
20 years but had been separated
seven months.
The fire in which she died was
reported by Mrs. Edward S.
Coia, a next-door neighbor at
198 Thorncliff Road. On arrival
of the Brighton fire company,
fire fighters Walter G. Byers,
Ronald Arnow and Richard
Cinelle had to kick in the front
door of the house where smoke
was dense in the first floor.
Mrs. Ryckman was the
former Marjorie A. Witmer,
born Aug., 20, 1923 at Williams-
ville. In addition to her hus-
band, she is survived by a
brother, Robert Witmer and
two sisters, Mrs. Wallace
Pauley and Mrs. Milton Killian.
The funeral will be at 1 p.m.
Monday at the Beach-Tuyn Fu-
neral Home, 5541 Main St., Wil-
liamsville. Burial will be at the
Harris Hill Cemetery in
Clarence.

Marjorie married RYCKMAN, Lawrence Richard about 1950. Lawrence (son of RYCKMAN, Lawrence R and Pearl W) was born on 5 Aug 1916 in New York; died in Jul 1980 in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, FL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: KILLIAN, Milton C. Milton was born on 7 Nov 1918; died in Oct 1990 in Akron, Erie County, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]