Mrs. Lita Truitt Kessel 1863-1898

KESSEL, CLARK

Posted By: cheryl Locher moonen (email)
Date: 2/24/2020 at 12:02:58

Twice-a-Week Plain Dealer, Tuesday, Jan 11, 1898, Cresco, IA, Page: 1

Mrs. Lita Truitt Kessel, was born in southern Iowa, April 17, 1863. She was the youngest of three children, one died infancy and the other, a brother, survives her and resides in Macon, Mo.

Mrs. Kessel’s father died when she was a little child, leaving her mother to support and care for her children as best she could. In 1879 her mother died and she then made her home with Dr. and Mrs. E. M. Clark, of Grinnell, Iowa. She was a graduate of the High School at Grinnell. She entered Iowa College at Grinnell as a member of the class of “83, but did not graduate with her class, being compelled to leave school and begin teaching as a means of support before her college course was completed. She first taught in the public schools of Bloomfield, Iowa, for two years, then in the public schools of Grinnell for two years. On May 27, 1886, she was married to Dr. George Kessel. Four children were born to them; Martha, aged nine years; Julia, aged six, Helen, three, and Gertrude not quite four weeks.

Her death on the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 5th, was much unexpected. She had been quite ill, bit on the day before her death was feeling much better, but heart disease had been subtly doing its deadly work with the rest of her sudden demise.

The funeral; occurred Friday afternoon from the home, her pastor, Rev. Holmes officiating; the interment being in Oak Lawn Cemetery.

Mrs. Kessel was a consistent member of the Congregational Church and a valued worker in the church and its societies and also a helper and aider of all worthy enterprises, and in this capacity, and also in her capacity as a wife and mother and for her social qualities will she be missed by a large circle of friends in Cresco.

The sympathy of all goes out the Doctor and motherless little ones is their sad bereavement.