Phoebe Mendenhall (1953)

MENDENHALL, WALTON, COMPTON, FRITZ, THOMPSON, COOK

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler, Volunteer (email)
Date: 2/23/2014 at 08:33:46

Earlham Echo – Earlham, Iowa
February 26, 1953

Phoebe Mendenhall, oldest daughter of Calvin and Deborah Walton Mendenhall, was born September 24, 1865 on a farm in the Bear Creek neighborhood which has been her home throughout her life. Her two brothers and three sisters have all preceded her to the heavenly home.

Phoebe was a birthright member of the Bear Creek Friends church. She was one of the charter members of the Burden Bearers Sunday School class and until ill health prevented was an active member of the Missionary Society. Early in life she formed the habit of committing to memory many passages of Scripture, especially the Psalms. Not many years ago she mentioned the fact that often when she was unable to sleep at night she passed the time by repeating these Bible passages.

As a girl she attended the Bear Creek school. While there she was one of a group of ten or twelve girls that kept in close touch with each other through the years, tho in later years their homes were widely separated. In 1892 they started a round robin letter that continued in circulation for fifty-five years. Phoebe was the last surviving member of the group.

Later she attended and graduated from a school known as the Dexter Normal College located at Dexter, Iowa. She also attended Highland Park College at Des Moines for some time. After completing her preparation for that work she spent many years as a teacher in the public schools, teaching in several different rural schools and in the grade schools at Van Meter and Dexter. Throughout her life she maintained a deep interest in the activities and welfare of her former pupils. Following her mother’s death in 1907 she quit teaching to make a home for her father and her brother, Edward, giving unstintingly of her time and energy in caring for them in times of prolonged illness. Her father passed away in 1918 and her brother in 1925 after which she lived alone in the family home until failing health made that impossible. During the last two years she has been cared for in nursing homes in Des Moines and Dexter. She passed away at the hospital in Dexter February 22, 1953.

Beginning about 1925 Phoebe served for 25 years as secretary of the Bear Creek School Reunion, maintaining correspondence with scores of former pupils at that school.

She is survived by four nephews and two nieces: Leland Mendenhall of Cedar Falls, Iowa; Otha Mendenhall of Champaign, Illinois; Lester Compton of Stuart; Ivan Compton of Earlham; Louise Fritz of Perry, Iowa; and Jessie Thompson of Ingleside, Nebraska; also by 12 great nephews and nieces, four great great nephews and nieces, and one cousin, Elza Cook, of Winterset, besides other relatives and friends.