GATES, Rebecca J. (LEWIS)

LEWIS, GATES

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 4/23/2015 at 09:40:23

Obituary ~ Rebecca J. (Lewis) Gates
February 17, 1857 ~ March 06, 1916

Leon Reporter
Leon, Decatur County, Iowa
March, 1916

WOMAN DIES AT THE DEPOT
Mrs. SILAS GATES Dies As She Is Buying a Ticket to Marshalltown.

Monday afternoon Mrs. SILAS GATES, of near Los Angeles, California, who has been here visiting when at the depot to take the afternoon passenger train to Marshalltown to visit a son when she suddenly became violently ill. Dr. LYON was phoned for and was able to reach her side but she, however, died a few minutes after he arrived, in the depot waiting room.
The body was taken to the Sheffer undertaking parlors and her husband wired in California, who wired back that if would be impossible for him to come and to hold the funeral here and bury her in the Garden Grove cemetery by the side of two children they have buried here. At the time we go to press no arrangements for the funeral have been made.

It is a very sad case indeed, Mr. and Mrs. GATES, who resided in this city for a number of years and raised a large family, went to California a few ago, and have not been back since until about two months ago Mrs. GATES came to St. Joe to visit with a son and from there came up here to visit several relatives and old time friends, and was on her way to Marshalltown to visit another son when her Maker called her home. She was a good woman and a hard worker and during her many years residences here had the respect of the entire community.

We are told that her maiden name was LEWIS and that she had a brother died similarly on the train while on a trip to Indiana and that her father died as he got out the bed one morning.

-- Garden Grove Express

Transcription by Sara Rose Joan LeFleur