Jessie May 1863-1941

MAY, ONSUM, HELMING, KENISTON, NUSTAD, EDWARDS

Posted By: Ann Krumme (email)
Date: 4/6/2008 at 19:51:23

Services for Miss Jessie May

Funeral services for Miss Jessie May, prominent resident of Waukon, who passed away February 11th at St. Joseph’s sanitarium at Dubuque where she has been receiving care since the first of the year, were held Friday afternoon at 2 o’clock in Martin’s funeral home at Waukon with the Rev. H. C. Culver of the Methodist church officiating. Burial was in the family lot at Oakland cemetery and pall bearers were Fred Beeman, Burt Hendrick, Horace Howe, C. H. Megorden, Boyd Smith and Dr. E. W. Hastings. The services were largely attended by Miss May’s many friends of this community as well as a number from a distance.

Mrs. Ardys Brown and Mrs. P. D. Cota sang two duets, “Hark, Hark My Soul,” and “The Sands of Time,” accompanied by Robert Engrav at the chapel organ. Following Rev. Culver’s prayer, all in attendance repeated the Lord’s Prayer.

Miss May was born in Waukon on October 15, 1863 and was one of the eight children of Mr. and Mrs. A. M. May, the father being remembered as the publisher of the Standard newspaper for a time, and also an Episcopal (?) clergyman, and court reporter.

After her education in the Waukon public schools, Miss May went to Chicago and completed a course in stenography. She was first employed in that capacity with the Washburn-Moen company there and later with the United States Steel and Wire company. Soon recognized as a woman of exceptional abilities, she became secretary to the manager of the company’s New York office in which position she served with excellent efficiency for a period of 20 years. After retiring from her secretarial work she returned to Waukon in 1923 to make her home. During these later years, she took three trips abroad where she visited her sister Marian, the deceased wife of Dr. Einar Onsum at Oslo, Norway.

Miss May, who realized many intellectual accomplishments, was a profound reader, and always presented a graceful and kindly manner. She was associated with a number of study clubs here, supported the Methodist church and took a great interest in her home whose furnishings and arrangements revealed her fine artistic tastes.

Surviving are one sister, Mrs. B. D. Helming of Waukon, and three brothers, Frank of Chicago, Bruce of Des Moines, and Langford of Berkley, California. She was preceded in death by two sisters, Mrs. G. N. (Anna) Keniston, and Marian; and one brother, Paul.

Among those attending from a distance who attend the service were Mr. and Mrs. Bruce May of Des Moines, Frank May of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Helming of Cresco and the members of their family, and Mrs. Peter Nustad, nee Betty Edwards, of La Crosse, Wis.

~Allamakee Journal and Lansing Mirror, February 19, 1941