A Miami County Newspaper
January 1947

William M. De Bra, 87, 715 South Downing Street, Piqua, retired teacher of Newberry and Staunton townships, died at 4:30 a. m. Monday in the Piqua Memorial hospital following an illness of three weeks. Funeral services were held at 2 p. m. Wednesday in the Routzahn Funeral home in Covington. Rev. Frederick Cook, officiating. Burial was in Highland cemetery there.

Son of Daniel and Elizabeth Burns De Bra, he was born near Pleasant Hill Sept. 30, 1859. The De Bra family is of French extraction, the great-grandfather, Jacob, coming to the United States from Alsace-Lorraine, first locating in Maryland. After his death the family came to Miami county. William Burns, grandfather of William De Bra, was a native of Wales.

Mr. De Bra attended the Newberry schools, completing his early education in the Covington schools and preparing for his teaching career at Ohio Normal university at Ada. He began teaching in 1883 in Newberry township, later teaching in Staunton and then returning to Newberry. He was a member of the Congregational Christian Church in Covington.

Survivors are two daughters, Mrs. Harry Sullenbarger, Piqua, with whom he had lived for four years, and Mrs. William Rike, also of Piqua; son, Paul of Dayton; two sisters, Mrs. James Shoe and Miss Ina De Bra of Piqua; three grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. His wife was Nellie Printz, to whom he was married July 4, 1885.