Old resident dies: Nicholas Dionysius, resident thirty years, killed in fall from cherry tree

Nicholas Dionysius, for thirty years a resident of the village and well known through serving as a gardener for many families here, was killed in a fall from a cherry tree at his home, 610 Ridge avenue, last Friday afternoon. The body was not discovered until Monday afternoon of this week, when M. J. Mick, a neighbor, saw it as he was walking through the alley in the rear of the house.

Mick noticed a ladder standing against a cherry tree in the yard, and a broken limb on the tree. He suspected that Dionysius might have fallen, and entered the yard, finding the aged man lying at the foot of the ladder still grasping a handful of cherries. He immediately reported the matter to the police who investigated.

At the inquest, which was held Tuesday afternoon it developed that the last person to see Dionysius alive was Mrs. Mick, who had noticed him picking cherries on the previous Friday afternoon. As the condition of the body indicated that death had occurred about three days before it was found, the police placed the time of his death as Friday.

Fell When Dizzy
It was said at the inquest that he was subject to dizzy spells, and the opinion of the police was that he had fallen from the ladder while suffering from one of these. The coroner’s jury returned a verdict of death by accident. The inquest was held at the funeral parlors of Frederick E. Lewis, 1120 Central avenue.

Dionysius was 60 years old and came to this county 47 years ago. He was born in a little town on the Rhine, in Germany. For the past thirty years he had lived in Wilmette, working as a laborer and as a gardener. He never married and lived alone since the death of his father several years ago. He was reputed to be wealthy and was thought to have lost a considerable sum of money speculating in German marks. He owned the house in which he lived, as well as other property.

His sister, Mrs. Catherine Dingels, 1339 North Halsted street, Chicago, and his brother-in-law are the only surviving relatives. Funeral services were held from Memorial Park chapel Thursday of this week and burial was at Memorial Park.