A Bumpy Road
Warren Bowersox lived a life that had more downs than ups. He was a working man in Selinsgrove and had a partnership a repair garage, the Fisher Garage Company. Though he was enlisted into the Army, he spent the majority of his life working at the garage, helping repair cars and selling them on Water Street. He was a heavy automobile enthusiast, which made his job a love and a hobby, more than intense labor and a bore. In 1918 he moved on from the garage work to become the local sales agent for Maxwell Touring cars and trucks. His family consisted of his wife Anna, his two sons named Marvin and Gerald, and their daughter named Alma. Together they owned a fairly nice townhouse in Selinsgrove on North Water Street and bought it for $9,000. Warren thrived until he hit his lows.
In November 1917 George was injured when he accidentally ignited a fume-filled gasoline tank while unloading cars at the freight station. He suffered fatal burns and was admitted to the hospital. He recovered from his injuries a couple weeks later and continued back to work for the garage company. In May 1919, while driving to a neighboring town accompanied by two other men, Warren was behind the wheel of the car on the back roads when one of the front wheels snapped, slamming the car through the guard rail and flipping it on top of Warren and a passenger. Warren suffered a fractured leg and the other man only slight injuries. It took time for him to adjust back into the automotive hobby he loved dearly, due to the trauma of the accident.
Warren’s final car mishap came in September 1924, when he rear-ended another car while driving drunk on the bridge to Sunbury. After the accident, he negotiated with the police officer. hoping to keep the news from his family. The police refused, sent him to jail, and released him back home before his court trial. Though ashamed of the drunk driving, he was in even bigger trouble from writing bad checks from the Sunbury Trust and Safe Deposit Company. Embarrassed and depressed, the day before his trial Warren took his military-issued Colt pistol and shot himself right in the heart. Alarmed by the sound, his wife rushed upstairs to stumble upon her dying husband. She held his hand in his final minutes. After his death, his family sold the house and moved.
Though his end was tragic, Warren Bowersox’s devotion to cars and family had been what he loved most in life.
Recommended Reading
“Early Car Dealers,” Selinsgrove Projects. Accessed October 25, 2022. https://selinsgrove.net/grove-history/early-car-dealers/.
“20.2 Miles on a Gallon Maxwell Economy Run.” Selinsgrove Times Tribune. May 31, 1917.
“Fearing to Face Court Trial, Man Commits Suicide.” September 23, 1924.
“Selinsgrove Man Commits Suicide Tuesday A. M.” September 26, 1924.
“Wheel Goes Off and Car Spills Over Bank.” Selinsgrove Times Tribune. May 1, 1919.