William Arnold Rife

1882 - 1965  (82 years)

• Name	William Arnold Rife
  Born	5 May 1882	Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
  Gender	Male
  Interesting	story, misfortune
  Misfortune	struck by lightning, gored by bull, survived train wreck, crushed by wagon
  Name	Willie Rife
  Residence	1891	Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5]
  	Evangelical
  Occupation	1901	Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  	School
  Occupation	1911	Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  	Laborer, Farm
  Residence	1911	Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  	Methodist
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-23912
  Died	1965	Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  Buried	New Hope Cemetery, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  Person ID	I23912	Generations
  Last Modified	6 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	David Rife,   b. 30 Apr 1848, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 14 Apr 1913, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 64 years)
  Mother	Ophelia Lochhead,   b. 14 May 1853, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 3 Mar 1958  (Age 104 years)
  Married	24 Jan 1871	Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5, 7]
  Family ID	F3058	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Lillian May Courtney,   b. 18 Mar 1889, Waldemar, Dufferin Co., Ontario ,   d. 1971  (Age 81 years)
  Married	17 Sep 1913	, York Co., Ontario, Canada
  Children	1. Jack Rife,   d. 1989   2. John Rife,   d. Bef 1995   3. Lillian Rife,   d. 1988   4. Arnold H. Rife,   b. 22 Jul 1918, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1 Dec 2011, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 93 years)   5. Carol Elizabeth Rife,   b. 1919,   d. 11 Jan 1995, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 76 years)   6. Kenneth Courtney Rife,   b. 1920,   d. Apr 2005, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 85 years)   7. William Charles "Charlie" Rife,   b. 1923,   d. 16 Mar 1996, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 73 years)   8. David Lochead Rife,   b. 23 Feb 1930, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 8 Apr 2011, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 81 years)
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F32764	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  In 1906 my father, William Rife, was the cause for much concern when he suffered a series of unfortunate accidents. Early in the summer, he was crushed between a load of hay and the barn door. A short time later as he stood in the doorway watching a mother hen and her baby chicks after bringing in a pail of water he was struck by lightning. Grandmother tells of how she quickly threw the pail of water on dad which she has always felt saved his life, though he remained unconscious for several hours. When he recuperated enough to travel he set out by train to visit his sister in Edmonton. On the way the train was involved in a serious wreck which claimed the lives of fourteen people. Dad escaped with a bad shaking- up. On his return to Hespeler, he was gored by a bull, requiring thirty-six stitches to close his wound. His experiences were printed in newspapers as far away as Chicago under the heading, "He Bears Charmed Life."

  
  

• Sources

  [S143] Census - ON, Waterloo, Hespeler - 1901, Hespeler (Village) D-2 Page 22. [S57] Vit - ON - Birth Registration. [S143] Census - ON, Waterloo, Hespeler - 1901, Hespeler (Village) D-2 Page 22. [S392] Census - ON, Waterloo, Hespeler - 1911, Div. 21 Pg. 22. [S2208] Census - ON, Waterloo, Hespeler - 1891, Section 1 Page 47. [S3231] Find A Grave, Cemetery, N., America, N., Municipality, W., & Cemetery, N. (1882). William Arnold Rife (1882-1965) - Find A Grave... Retrieved 25 May 2020, from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65158404/william-arnold-rife. [S4] Vit - ON - Marriage Registration. David Rife Junr (farmer of Hespeler) b. Hespeler Ont Age: 22 born abt 1849 father: David Rife mother: Mary Rife married Ophelia Lockhead (resident of Hespeerl) Age:: 17 born abt 1854 b. Galt Ont father: James Lockhead mother: Alzina Lockhead married 24 Jan 1871 Marriage Place: Waterloo, Hespeler

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 5 May 1882 - Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Evangelical - 1891 - Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - School - 1901 - Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Laborer, Farm - 1911 - Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Methodist - 1911 - Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Married - 17 Sep 1913 - , York Co., Ontario, Canada Died - 1965 - Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - New Hope Cemetery, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth