William Metzger
Birth 1865
Death July 21, 1922 Omaha
Burial Pleasant Hill Jewish Cemetery Omaha
Wife: Mathilda (Kahn) METZGER William Metzger died at his home July 21, 1922, the age of 55 years. Funeral services Sunday, July 23d, at 2 p.m., at Hulse & Riepen Chapel, 23d and Cuming.
He is survived besides his wife, two brothers, Samuel Metzger, New York; Jake Schlank, of Blackmore, Oklahoma, and one sister, Mrs. Mollie Fisher, New York.
Interment Pleasant Hill Jewish Cemetery, Omaha, Nebraska. Friends welcome.
Omaha Morning Bee, July 23, 1922

History of Manning 1898
LEWIS & GRAU:
Dr. A.H. Hull opened up a drug store in Manning, July 26, 1883, which was operated under the name of The Hull Drug Company. April 3, 1884, Peter B. Stouffer purchased the stock and, till 1889, was sole proprietor. In January of this year, John A. Lewis became a member of the firm which was changed to Stouffer & Lewis.
In 1892, Herman Grau succeeded Mr. Stouffer and the firm name was changed to Lewis & Grau. In 1895, William Metzger became a member of the firm, taking charge of the jewelry department making the firm style Lewis, Grau & Metzger. The stock consists of drugs, jewelry, wall paper, paints, oils, books and shelf and case goods.
This firm also has a branch store at Templeton which they purchased May 10, 1897. The Manning store has also been headquarters for the Iowa Telephone Company since February 1897.
The jewelry department of this store was instituted when Mr. Stouffer bought the stock of Urestus S. Heffelfinger in 1891, just previous to the fire of that year. Mr. Heffelfinger opened up this stock of jewelry in September, 1881, in the Chapman or Light foot building situated on Lot 11, Block 5. He bought the present Lewis & Grau lot in 1897 and sold the same to Peter B. Stouffer as stated above. The small portion of his jewelry stock that he retained, he moved to the opposite side of the street where it was destroyed in the fire of 1891.
John A. Lewis, the senior. member of the firm, is a graduate of the Shenandoah schools. He entered the drug store of Peter B. Stouffer, as an unexperienced clerk, in 1886, and, in less than three years, had been sufficiently learned in the profession of pharmacy to pass the state board examination. He has also, for some time, been connected with the State Bank of Manning, as will be noted under that head.
Herman Grau, before engaging in the drug business, took a thorough training on the farm. It is claimed that the hayseed that he combed from his hair he mixed with the stock foods and increased the sales fifty per cent.
William Metzger learned the trade of watch making and repairing in the schools of a foreign land (Germany) where they have to take a regular course of instruction and pass a stringen examination. He entered the drug store of George M. Barber, of this city, in March, 1892. He remained in this store till 1895, when he entered the drug store of Lewis & Grau where he has remained ever since.