RIGDON, William Grover 1885-1958

RIGDON, FUNK, WASON, SEARLES

Posted By: S. Bell
Date: 9/11/2013 at 23:49:02

[Waterloo Daily Courier, Monday, October 27, 1958, Waterloo, Iowa]

Funeral services for William G. Rigdon, 73, of 45 N. Hackelt Rd., Castle J. Hill, are pending for Wednesday at the Parrott & Wood funeral Home. Mr. Rigdon died 4:30 p. m. Sunday at Schoitz Memorial Hospital of a heart condition. He had been ill for the past year.

He was born Jan. 13, 1885, in Pesotum, Illinois, the son of Dallas and Elizabeth Rigdon. When he was 17 years old he came to Waterloo, where he was employed by the Iowa Dairy Separator Co.

He married Maggie Funk in Waterloo on October 14, 1908. He was employed as a machinist and foreman by the John Deere Waterloo Tractor Works for 31 years. He retired five years ago.

Mr. Rigdon was a member of the Martin Lodge No. 624, AF&AM.

He is survived by his wife, at home; and by one daughter, Mrs. Ernest Wason, Rt. 1 and by one sister, Mrs. Ray Searles, Gerber, Calif.

Also surviving are two brothers, J. T. Rigdon, 2917 Kenyon St., and Merritt Rigdon, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren also survive.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters and four brothers.

Friends may call at the funeral home after 10 a.m. Tuesday.

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[Waterloo Daily Courier, Tuesday, October 28, 1958, Waterloo, Iowa]

Funeral services for William G. Rigdon, 73, of 45 N. Hackett Rd., Castle Hill, will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Parrott & Wood Funeral Home. Martin Lodge No. 624, AF&AM will open at 12:45 p.m. for the purpose of conducting the rites at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Midwest Memorial Garden Cemetery.* Prayer services will be conducted by Bahal.

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*Cemetery name in newspaper is a bit confusing. There is "Memorial Gardens Cemetery" in Waterloo, and "Midwest Garden of Memories". It's like they combined the two names and came up with one. This researcher went with the one that has a number of Rigdons until further investigating is done.
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[From John Deere newsletter "The Connecting Link" August, 1953]

The Good Old Days Are Now...

The twilight years of life are as inevitable as tomorrow. If they are to be happy years, you must plan early for them. Many of the nation's oldsters are living in happiness and contentment but there are many who are not - either because they lack financial independence or they are bored because of no planned activity to keep them occupied.

The happiest people are those who develop a non-business interest in middle life and foremost who keep an open mind about the world.

In this latter group, we have a fine example - Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Rigdon.

Most of you remember seeing Curly around the shop for years ...he retired around the first of the year and since that time he certainly hasn't let any grass grow under his feet.

Curly prepared well for this chapter of his life. He bought 35 acres of land on North Hacket Road - a small enough parcel that it doesn't require a great deal of heavy work, but large enough to keep him pleasantly busy. And over the years the Rigdon's have developed a hobby of raising flowers p just for their sheer beauty.

Curly and "Ma" Rigdon have over an acre of flowers including double painted daiseys, peonies, bleeding hearts, delphiniums, blue phlox, cydonias, 150 varieties of Iris, corral, tiger and surprise lillies, poppys and many other usual and unusual varieties.

Summer or winter they have their own fresh vegetables, fruit and meat - either from their gardens or deep freeze.

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Note: In some documents his name is listed as Grover W. Rigdon. Most were William Grover Rigdon.