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March 8, 1998
Dorothy Mae Hite
Dorothy Mae Hite, 74, died Friday, March 6, 1998, in St. Luke's Hospital, Cedar Rapids, following an extended illness. Services: 1pm at Phillips Funeral Home, Vinton, by the Rev. Michelle Scott. Burial: Oakewood Cemetry, Shellsburg.
Survivors include her husband, Don; two daughters, Cheryl Beatty of Shellsburg and Lana Miller of Newhall; two brothers, Eugene Blount of Victor and Wayne Blount of Middle Amana; and six sisters, Geneva Simoens of North English, Maxine Gegenheimer of Cedar Rapids, Marguerite Kahler of Marengo, Ruth Ferrel of Iowa City, Delores Miller of Geneseo, Ill., and Elaine Means of Greenfield.
Also surviving are son-in-law Keith Beatty; grandchildren, Chad Beatty and wife Cathie. Todd Beatty, Brooke Simmons and husband David, Matthew, Christine, Holly and Darrin Miller; and Great-grandchildren, Megan Williams, Colton Beatty, and Ben and Amanda Seiler.
{Submitter comment: picture with obit
Submitted on behalf of Sheryl Reynolds and Marilyn Kolsrud. Email: deneren@aol.com }
Vinton Eagle, January 5, 1892
Grandma Hite
A PIONEER GONE.
Grandma Hite, mother of several of our best Citizens, Passes Away -- A Resident of Benton County Nearly 42 Years --She Leaves Numerous Descendants.
Grandma Hite was born Sept. 28th, 1807 in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and died at her home in Taylor township Dec. 30th, 1891, at 1 o'clock, p. m., aged 84 years, 3 months, and 2 days. She was taken sick with la grippe and died in five days. She was married at the age of 22 years to David Hite, also of Bucks county, Pa. Just 24 years ago the day she was buried her companion died, and went to the better world. They are now reunited where partings and separations never come. Grandma HIte was the mother of 12 children, all of whom are living, and ten were present to pay the last tribute of respect to their best friend on earth--mother. The eldest of her children is 62 years old, and the youngest 40 years. She left 88 grandchildren and 35 great grandchildren to mourn their loss. All her children were born in Pennsylvania but one.
Mother Hite joined the Lutheran church when she was 20 years old of which church she was a member for 23 years. In the month of May of 1850, she with her husband and family emigrated to Iowa and settled in Benton county in Canton township, in which county her home has been ever since. She with her companion joined the church of the United Brethren in Christ in the year 1852 and has lived a consistent member of said church for 40 years, making all 63 years of her life spent in the services of God. The first services ever held in Benton county by the United Brethren church were held at her home and for several years her home was a regular place of worship and a welcome home for the pioneer preacher. Rev. Jones, of Cedar Rapids, was the first preacher who held services at her home, then followed Father Newman and others. Mother Hite had great power of endurance, a strong physique and constitution with a large amount of vivacity and tenacity. She reached the age alloted to man and by reason of strength upward of four-score years. During her last illness she never murmured or complained and always wanted to wait on herself for fear of troubling others. Her life ebbed away without a struggle, peacefully and calm as the setting sun on a summer's evening. She trusted in Him whom she had served for 63 years. She was never so well situated to glorify God as in her dying hour for she displayed the tenderness of his care, the truth of his promises, the support of his everlasting love. Whie the eye of the body was closing to the beauties of the earth the eye of the soul was opening to the glories that are to be revealed in Heaven. While her hold of all that life held dear was relaxing she clung with a firmer grasp of faith and a closer embrace of love to the things that are unseen and eternal in the Heavens. We tenderly fold the hands across her breast that have so often ministered to us in our youthful days and that have been so beneficent to humanity. Mother Hite was a faithful member of her church and was always at her place of duty. Indeed it was said by one who knew, that she had scarcely missed a half dozen Sundays in attending church in the last twelve years, and she would frequently walk to the house of worship. Her life is a living epistle known and read of all men. How beautiful a life when 63 years are given to God. The day of the death of the religious is indeed better than the day of their birth for rich with all the treasures of spiritual knowledge, the growth and accumulation of a life of discipline they come to their last hour like mellow fruit that gathers into itself all the life of the true and all the dew and sunshine of summer and then bends and breaks the branch from which it hangs.
She seemed to know for some time that the end was near. While visiting with one of her children recently, she saw a plant that she admired and asked for a slip of it. On being told that they would save a slip for her in the spring she replied, "I'll not be here in the spring." This was true but she is
"Where the everlasting spring abides, And never fading flowers; Death, like a narrow sea divides, That heavenly land of ours."
The funeral services were conducted by her pastor, Rev. N. W. Burtner, using the 7th verse of the 4th chapter II Tim., as a basis of his remarks. Although the day was dreadfully stormy, there was a large concourse of friends present at the funeral, fully attesting the esteem in which Mother Hite was held.
{Submitter comment: Some obituaries of the people buried in the Prairie United Brethren Cemetery, Sec. 35, Taylor Township.}
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