Obituaries |
submitted by: Julia Johnson - julia.johnson63@gmail.com |
[Church, Stella Gloe] Iowa South-West Saturday April 12, 1879 p. 3 In Memoriam Dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Church, in memory of little Stella Gloe, who died March 16th, 1879, aged 6 weeks and four days. One more taken from the
little fold,
Beloved by one and all;
She has passed from among us,
Heeding her Savior’s call. So, we laid her to slumber,
To sleep ‘neath the snow,
Like the flowers in the
harvest
By the Reaper laid low. She is gone, --the one we
loved so dear,
To her eternal rest,
She is gone to heaven we have
no fear,
And is forever blest. This child to us was only lent; Yes, farewell, Stella! How we loved Your little lips, so sweet to kiss; Little darling, how you suffered Farewell, darling! We know you are ------By Jennie and Emma. Bedford Times-Press Thursday June 29, 1933 p. 3 CONWAY Mrs. Ellen M. Cole Dies at Clarinda Mrs. Ellen M. [ary Horne] Cole died at Clarinda Saturday, June 24. Funeral services were held at the Methodist church in Conway Monday afternoon, conducted by Rev. E. E. Garrett. Mrs. Cole was born in Plymouth, England, March 15, 1845. She was married to James E. [dwin] Cole in the Episcopal church of St. Andrews at Plymouth, December 28, 1874. They came to Conway in 1880. Surviving relatives are her father, George Gray of Lenox, one son William Cole of Omaha, a grandson, Richard Cole of Abilene, Texas, a sister and two brothers in England. Bedford Times-Press Thursday May 7, 1938 p. 7 CONWAY Uncle Jimmy Cole Dies Uncle Jimmy Cole, 96, long time resident of Conway, was buried Sunday at Conway. He had been making his home in Lenox with Mr. and Mrs. Harry Gray until the time of his death. Bedford Times-Press Wednesday May 6, 1987 p. 6 Graveside Services for Kelly Colter Kelly [Shawn] Colter, 18-year-old son of Nancy Glass Poore was killed in an automobile accident prom night in Elgin, Ill. Another teenager was killed and Kelly’s sister, Kim, age 16, was severely injured. Kelly is the grandson of Mrs. Betty Glass of Bedford and Archie and Jesse Colter of Montana. Visitation will [be] Thursday, May 7, 1-1:30 p. m. at Shum-Novinger Funeral Home and graveside services will be at 2 p. m. Thursday at Conway, Ia. Bedford Times-Press Thursday July 15, 1971 Graveside services were held at the Conway Cemetery Monday, July 5, for Kevin Bryan, infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Colter, Clarinda. The infant was born July 4. Mrs. Colter is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Glass of Bedford. Clearfield Enterprise Thursday August 1, 1935 p. 2 The six weeks old child of Mr. and Mrs. John Cooper died at Conway, and the funeral was on Monday forenoon. [Cooper, John Clifford] Bedford Times-Press Thursday August 1, 1935 p. 2 CONWAY Cooper Infant Dies John Clifford Cooper, infant son Mr. and Mrs. J. [ohn] C. Cooper, died at the home in Conway, Sunday evening, aged 1 month and 12 days. Brief services were held at the home Monday forenoon, conducted by Rev. E. E. Garrett. Burial was made in the Conway cemetery. Graveside memorial services for Leota DeVoe, age 77 of Bedford who passed away Saturday, December 24, 2011 at the Bedford Nursing & Rehab Center were held Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at the Lexington Cemetery in Bedford. Visitation were held Monday, December 26, 2011 at the Ritchie Funeral Home in Bedford from 3 to 7 with the family greeting friends from 5 to 7. Memorials may be given in Leota's name. Memories may be shared at www.ritchiefuneralhome.com. Arrangements were entrusted to Ritchie Funeral Home of Bedford. Leota Ellen DeVoe, age 77, of Bedford was born September 16, 1934 in Lenox, IA, the daughter of Marvin and Alma (Stanger) Fleming. After living 23 years with Alzheimer's disease she passed away Saturday morning, December 24, 2011 at the Bedford Nursing and Rehab Center surrounded by her loving family. Leota grew up in Lenox graduating from the Lenox High School in 1952. While in high school Leota met Doyle DeVoe at the skating rink and started dating shortly after. After high school she worked a short time at Mutual of Omaha while Doyle was deployed overseas. While Doyle was in the service they wrote letters almost daily. They were united in marriage December 18, 1954 at the United Methodist Church in Lenox. They lived their entire married life on a farm southeast of Conway until Leota moved to the Bedford Nursing and Rehab Center in January of 2009. During their union they were blessed with 4 children, Steven Jay, Michael Dean, Sandra Jean and Kenneth Wayne (Short). Leota had a passion for music and loved to play the piano and the accordion that Doyle sent her while he was stationed in Germany. Leota enjoyed gardening and always had a large vegetable garden from which she canned for the family. She also sewed for her family, making clothes, doll clothes and curtains for the house. She loved animals and usually had a dog and often a cat that one of the kids "rescued". For many years Leota and Doyle enjoyed spending their winters in Texas and Arizona. Left to cherish Leota's memory are her loving and devoted husband of 57 years, Doyle; their children, Steve DeVoe and wife Lou, Mike DeVoe and wife Jill, Sandy Piercy and husband GL, Short DeVoe and wife Terry; 14 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; her sister, Joan Thompson; sisters-in-law, MaryAnn Fleming, Donna Dawson and Lois Scott; uncle, Wendell Fleming; nieces, nephews, many other relatives and friends. Leota was preceded in death by her parents, Marvin and Alma Fleming; brother, Robert Fleming; brothers-in-law, Vernal Thompson, Bill Dawson and Russell Scott; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Charles and Mildred DeVoe. Beloved Wife
Although you can't be here with me, we're truly not apart, Until the final breath I take, you will be living in my
heart. Bedford Times-Press Thursday August 12, 1954 [p. 1] Kemery Infant Rites Held Sunday Graveside services for David Allen, stillborn child of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kemery of Omaha, were held at Fairview cemetery, Sunday afternoon, August 8, conducted by Rev. Fred H. Cowles. The infant was born at St. Francis hospital, Maryville, August 6. The Kemerys are former residents of Bedford. Grandparents of the baby are Mr. and Mrs. Karl Kemery, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Brown of Bedford. [Kemery, Effie Irene Fitzhugh] Bedford Times-Press Thursday November 5, 1981 p. 2 Effie Kemery, 79, Final Rites Will Be Held Here Today Funeral services for Mrs. Karl (Effie) Kemery, 79, of Kearney, Nebr., former Bedford resident, will be held Thurs., Nov. 5, at 2 p. m. in Shum-Novinger Funeral Home in Bedford with Rev. Carl Cummings officiating. Mrs. Kemery died November 1, 1981, in the Kearney, Nebr. Hospital. Interment will be at Fairview Cemetery, Bedford. Effie I. [rene] Fitzhugh Kemery, daughter of George [Appleton] and Harriet [Elizabeth Durnell] Fitzhugh, was born October 4, 1902 at Weaubleau, Missouri. She grew to maturity in the area where she was born where she attended the public school. On February 24, 1927 she was united in marriage to Karl Kemery and they lived in Jackson Township southeast of Bedford, Iowa, until they retired from farming in 1975 and moved to Kearney, Nebraska, where they have continued to reside. One son, Charles, was born to bless their home and to share their love. She was a former member of the Bedford Baptist church and at present a member of the Kearney Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her parents, two sisters, two brothers, and one grandson. Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Karl Kemery of the home; son, Charles and his wife, Joan, of Kearney, Nebraska; grandchildren, Greg of Lincoln, Nebraska; Scott and Teri Richardson; great granddaughter, Dana Richardson of Kearney, Nebraska; nieces; nephews; other relatives and friends. Her family and friends will remember her as a kind and considerate loved one and she will be missed by all those who loved her. Karl Kemery, 98, of Kearney, died Monday, September 30, 2002, at St. John's Good Samaritan Center in Kearney. Memorial services were held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, October 5, 2002, at the First Baptist Church in Kearney with Rev. Bob Cannon officiating. There was no visitation. The body was cremated. Further services were held at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 8, 2002, at the Ritchie Funeral Home in Bedford, IA. Memorials are suggested to Good Samaritan Hospice or the First Baptist Church. O'Brien-Straatmann-Apfel Funeral Home of Kearney was in charge of arrangements. He was born January 26, 1904 in Jackson Twp., Taylor County, Iowa, to Andrew and Ermina Hays Kemery. He attended Science Ridge country school in Jackson Twp. and in 1924 he graduated from Bedford High School in Bedford, IA. On February 24, 1927, he married Effie Fitzhugh in Maryville, MO. The couple had one son, Charles. Karl farmed in Taylor County, Iowa for 70 years. He and his wife retired from the farm in 1975 and moved to Kearney. He worked in Kearney for several years for a communications company and an engine repair business. His wife, Effie died in 1981. He married a high school friend, Ruth Erie Dugan on July 31, 1985 in Phoenix, AZ, and they celebrated their 17th anniversary this past July. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Kearney and a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity for several years. He was a creative person who used his talents to build and create many things. He built a single tube radio receiver in 1920, built a six-passenger sailboat in 1940, was a Ham Radio Operator for 40 years and a proficient Morse code operator. He flew an airplane with his neighbor and spent many hours at the controls. Although he was a farmer, he always had the desire to be a mechanic and always repaired his own equipment. He is survived by his wife, Ruth son, Charles and wife Beverly, of Kearney; 3 grandchildren, Greg Kemery of Banks, OR, Terri (Kemery) Richardson of Kearney, Scott Kemery of Omaha; 4 great-grandchildren, Dana Richardson, Tracy Richardson, Brent Richardson and Miranda Kemery; 3 step-children, Ellen Shepherd of Phoenix, Az, Kathleen Hartman of Telluride, CO and Michael Erie of Montrose, CO. He was preceded in death by his wife, Effie; his parents; brother Roy; daughter-in-law Joan Kemery; and grandson David Allen Kemery. [Kemery, Virginia Joan “Jo” Brown] Bedford Times-Press Wednesday June 6, 2001 p. 5 Virginia Joan “Jo”
Kemery
Virginia Joan “Jo” Kemery, 67, Kearney, died Sunday, June 3, 2001 at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. The body was cremated. Memorial services were held on Wednesday, June 6th at 11:00 a. m. at the First Baptist Church in Kearney. The Rev. Stan Murdoch officiated. Memorials are suggested to the American Red Cross or to the First Baptist Church in Kearney. O’Vrien-Straatmann—Apfel Funeral Home of Kearney was in charge of arrangements. An additional memorial service will be held at 11:00 a. m. Saturday at the Ritchie Funeral Home in Bedford, Iowa with interment in the Fairview Cemetery in Bedford. Jo was born December 17, 1933 in Clayton Township in Taylor County, Iowa, to Harold and Marvel (Burns) Brown. She graduated from Bedford High School in 1952. On November 29, 1953, she married Charles A. [ndrew] Kemery. They lived in LaCrosse, Wisconsin before moving to Omaha, NE, in the fall of 1954. Jo and husband, Charles, moved to Kearney in July of 1969. Jo was a member of the First Baptist church of Kearney. She worked with Cub Scouts, Brownies, school PTA and other volunteer work. She continued activities with the Red Cross, was church financial secretary, and was a freelance bookkeeper for several companies. Her work continued until health problems forced her into retirement in the fall of 1998. She was an avid bridge player having played with the same three special friends for over thirty years. Survivors include her husband, Charles of Kearney; sons, Greg of Banks, Oregon, Scott of Omaha, Nebraska and daughter Terri Richardson of Kearney; sisters, Betty Verba of Wynot, Nebraska, Karen Melton of Omaha; and brother, Robert Brown of Clarinda, Iowa; four grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives and friends. She is proceeded in death by her parents and an infant son. [Nash, Virginia Jane Kennedy Thummel] Bedford Times-Press Wednesday November 15, 1995 p. 10 Virginia “Jane” Nash
Virginia “Jane” Nash, 71, of 2115 Swan Drive, died Saturday, November 4, 1955 at Samaritan North in Camanche. Memorial services were held Tuesday, November 7 at Camanche Chapel, Snell-Zornig Funeral Home, with the Rev. Dolores Santos-Sheets officiating. Mrs. Nash was born February 10, 1924 in Cushing, Nebraska, to Fred and Margaret [Faye] Simon Kennedy. She married Olin [Clyde] Thummel on December 24, 1941 in Bedford, Iowa. He died June 1, 1961. She then married R.[alph] Jay Nash, December 19, 1970, in Grinnell, Iowa. She was a 1941 graduate of Bedford High School and a 1968 graduate of Northwest Missouri State University, where she graduated with honors and a B. A. in library science. She was employed with the Keokuk High School for two years, the Marshalltown High School for a year, and was the head librarian for Grinnell High School for 11 years, retiring in 1982. She was a former member of the Congregational Church in Grinnell, and a former member of the Methodist Church in Bedford where she was very active. She enjoyed flowers, gardening, the outdoors and traveling. Survivors include her husband; a daughter, Margie Stillwagon of Royal Palm Beach, Florida; a son, Steve Thummel of Lawson, Missouri; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a sister, Kathlyn Hossman of Villisca, Iowa. She was preceded in death by her first husband, her parents and a brother. [Stockwell, Virgie Maxine Gilbert] Bedford Times-Press Wednesday April 21, 1999 Virgie Stockwell
Graveside services for Virgie Stockwell, age 71 of Bedford, who died Saturday at Alegent Health Mercy Hospital in Corning were held Monday, April 19, 1999 at 11:00 a.m. at the Lexington Cemetery with Pastor Ted DeHass officiating. Memorials can be given in her name. Services were conducted by the Ritchie Funeral Home of Bedford. Virgie Maxine Stockwell was born September 13, 1927 in Central City, Nebraska the daughter of Richard Blen Gilbert and Lillian Anderson. On February 19, 1952 she was united in marriage to Merl Dean Stockwell in Logan, Iowa. Virgie and Merl lived in the Council Bluffs area for several years where Merl worked for the railroad and Standard Oil. Later, Standard Oil transferred them to the Kansas City, Kansas area where they lived for a couple of years. Always being interested in farming, they moved to a farm in the Conway area. Merl and Virgie would farm together for many years until they moved to Bedford in 1991. Virgie loved to sew, crochet, paint and quilt. All of the grandchildren and great grandchildren received a hand sewn quilt or pillow lovingly made by their grandmother. She was also known to teach each of them the love for playing cards. They fondly remember a game of UNO almost every weekend or whenever the family would gather together. Virgie and Merl wintered in Arizona for many years. The friends they made, and the time she spent playing Bingo, and Merl playing pool, made many fond memories for them. She was the past President of the F.N.G. Women's Club (a neighborhood group in Conway) and a Room Mother when they lived in Council Bluffs. Left to cherish her memory are her husband Merl of Bedford; two sons, Steven Stockwell and wife Glenda of Bedford and Jimmie Thomas and wife Gayle of Warner Robins, Georgia; a daughter, Donna Kernen of Bedford; a half brother, Ivan Gilbert and wife Sharon of Council Bluffs; a sister, Doreen Williams of Grand Island, Nebraska; six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Preceding her in death are her parents, Richard and Lillian; a brother, Ted; and three sisters, Dorothy, Beno and Betty and a son in law Steve Kernen. Bedford Times-Press Thursday May 15, 1957 [p. 1] Frank Thummel Rites Held Here Saturday Frank Thummel, a long-time resident of Taylor County, died at the home of his son and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Duane Thummel, near Bedford on Wednesday, May 8, following an illness of several months. Funeral services were held at the Bedford Methodist church, Saturday afternoon, May 11, conducted by Rev. Carl Stiefel, pastor of the church. Burial in Fairview cemetery. Frank Charles Thummel, son of William Henry and Nancy Thummel, was born in Fremont County, Iowa, Oct. 2, 1871 and died at the age of 85 years, seven months, six days. He grew to manhood in the Summit and Locust Grove communities south of Shenandoah and spent his early adulthood farming there. On March 13, 1913 he was married to Miss Alice E. [lma] Butts of Bedford. Three sons, Glenn, Olin and Duane were born to this union. They farmed near Bedford and Gravity until their retirement in 1951, when they moved to a home in Bedford. Early in life he united with the Methodist church and, with his family, was active in the church until his health prevented further participation. He served for many years as Steward and Trustee of the churches at Bedford and Gravity. Mrs. Thummel died April 12, 1956. He was also preceded in death by one sister, Sadie, and by one brother, Edward Thummel. He is survived by his three sons and their wives; six grandchildren; two sisters, Mrs. Laura Meeker of Worth, Mo., and Mrs. Allie Toney of Leon, Iowa. Bedford Free Press Thursday October 25, 1923 p. 4 Mr. and Mrs. Frank Flummel [Thummel] and sons, Glenn, Olin and Duane, accompanied by her mother, Mrs. Walker Butts, motored to Worth, Mo., Monday, to attend the funeral of his mother, who passed away quite suddenly Saturday afternoon, being nearly eighty-five years of age. Bedford Times-Press Thursday June 8, 1961 [p. 1] Olin Thummel Dies In Chicago June 1st Funeral services for Olin Thummel of Bedford, who died in Chicago, Thursday, June first, were held at the Bedford Methodist church Sunday afternoon, June 4. Rev. Anthony Blankers, pastor of the church officiated. Burial was in Fairview cemetery. Olin Clyde Thummel, son of Frank Charles and Alice Elma [Butts] Thummel, was born in Taylor County, Iowa, October 16, 1915, and passed away at the age of 45 years, seven months, 15 days. He was baptized at the Bedford Methodist Church when a small child and had been a faithful member of either the Bedford or Gravity Methodist churches since that time. He attended rural schools and graduated from Bedford High School with the class of 1933. Following this he was graduated from the Iowa Barber College, Des Moines, the Waterloo School of Cosmetology at Waterloo, and followed the profession several years. He enlisted in the U. S. Army in July 1941 and served until October 1945. On December 24, 1941 he was married to Miss Virginia Jane Kennedy. To this union were born two children, Olin Stephen Thummel and Margaret Kathleen Thummel. In January 1949 he received his appointment as a railway mail clerk with the U. S. post office department and held this position until his death. Olin was quick to make friends and loved people; being especially kind and thoughtful to those who were handicapped. He always enjoyed nature and the great out-of-doors. He is survived by his wife, Jane; two children, Stephen and Margie; two brothers, Glenn Thummel of Harlan, Duane Thummel of Bedford. Betty Jean Webster was born October 26, 1926, at Miami, Florida and died June 3, 2004, at Dunedin, Florida. Betty was the daughter of Pearce Newport and Harriet (Rutledge) Newport Thornell. She was a graduate of Clarinda high School. Betty worked at the Mental Health Institute of Clarinda. She was active in the American Legion Auxiliary in Clarinda. Preceding Betty in death were her parents and son, Don Beau Webster. Survivors include her daughter Katy Webster of Clearwater, Florida; son, David Webster and wife Esther of Miami, Florida; six grandchildren and sister Elaine Givens of Coronado, California. Burial of ashes will be at a later date at the Lexington Cemetery, Bedford, Iowa. Walker-Merrick was in charge of arrangements. |