Sarah Randall 1824-1899

RANDALL, STEVENS

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 7/16/2018 at 12:32:36

3 August 1899 - West Branch Times

Died, at West Branch, August 2 '99, Mrs. Sarah, wife of E. B. Randall. Funeral services will be held at the house at 12:30 o'clock, noon, Friday. Interment at West Liberty. An opportunity will be given to view the remains between 10 and 12 o'clock, Friday.

10 August 1899 - West Branch Times

The funeral services of Mrs. Sarah Randall, beloved wife of E. B. Randall, were held at her late residence Friday at 12:30 o'clock. A large number of friends attended and by their presence paid a tribute of respect to the memory of the deceased; also thereby expressed their sympathy for the bereaved family. The remains were encased in a rich black broad cloth casket surrounded and nearly covered with a rich profusion of flowers. At the head of the casket was a most beautiful design, "Gates Ajar" with a white dove with spread wings ready to escort the spirit into the unseen. This piece was presented by Wapsinonoc Lodge No. 381, A.F. and A.M. A star presented by the Epworth League, an anchor by the Christian Endeavor of the Friends church and many others, though equally beautiful and appreciated yet too numerous to mention. The singing was most beautifully and touchingly rendered. The selections were, "Nearer My God to Thee," "Come Ye Disconsolate," and "The Homeland". The latter being rendered as a solo by Mrs. C. H. Hathaway. Rev. R. W. Coates, pastor of the M.E. church, of which the deceased was a member, officiated and based his remarks upon her favorite scripture, the 14th chapter of the Gospel of St. John, and appropriately applied lessons drawn therefrom. Mrs. Randall was a very modest, retiring woman, unostentatious in life, but whose life was in all its minor details a reproduction of the Christ life; and to no one was this more apparent than to her own children, and may it not be truly said, that none can more beautifully exemplify the spirit and power of our holy Christianity than a mother? The services over, the relatives accompanied by many friends, wended their way through cloud and storm to the silent city of the dead, the West Liberty cemetery, where the remains were placed in a beautifully lined and decorated grave in hope of a glorious resurrection in the last day. Her illness was a protracted one and her sufferings intense; but this only served to demonstrate her Christian virtues and make her last days most impressive to those whose privilege it was to witness the end. A venerable husband who has passed his four score years, and five children survive and mourn her departure, Huldah A., George L., Mrs. Elma R. Stevens, wife of Rev. A. D. Stevens, Wellington D., and Lafayette Randall. Also two brothers and two sisters. The deceased was born October 2, 1824, and died August 2, 1899, aged 74 years and 10 months.