Albert Thomas

THOMAS

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 11/14/2018 at 15:17:14

11 April 1901 - West Branch Times

Died, at his home near West Branch, Iowa, March 15, 1901, in the 20th year of his age, Albert J., son of Samuel S. and Martha M. Thomas. His disease was scarlet fever, and it took but nine days for it to do its fatal work. He was delirious a part of the time during his sickness, but regained consciousness near the close and seemed to realize all that was going on around him, although he had not been able to utter a word distinctly for several days.

While we well know that all the sympathizing friends around a death bed cannot save our loved ones, yet what a comfort it is to those who are left to say a word of sympathy in the hour of deepest sorrow. Not even his loving brothers and sisters were allowed to enter the parental home and mingle their grief with their sorrow-stricken parents. One dear aunt and sister of the bereaved ones came to sympathize with and comfort them in his sad hour.

In a letter of sympathy from a dear friends she remarked, "How solemn, beautiful and calm the hour when the coffin was born away, unattended by kindred or friend. Yet a warm wave of sympathy swept over the entire community and silently followed to the open grave."

It seems hard to see one so young, just in the morning of life, with good health and everything to make life worth the living, stricken down. But while we mourn we are not as those without hope, for we trust that our loss is his gain.