Henry and Catherine Becker

BECKER, SHIELDS, THEMMESCHTIMMISCH, HENKLES

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 10/15/2002 at 19:51:04

HENRY and CATHERINE BECKER

Dubuque Telegraph Herald
March 22, 1883
Column four

TOGETHER IN DEATH

An Aged Couple Depart from Life Within Eight Hours of Each Other

After fifty years of wedded life an aged and well known couple depart from this earth on the same day --Tuesday -- both dying a natural death. We refer to Mr. Henry Becker and his wife, Mrs. Catherine Becker, old and respected residents of this county, residing in Key West. The difference in the time of their death was only eight hours, Mr. Becker expiring at 11:40 o'clock a.m., and Mrs. Becker at 7:40 p.m. The deceased couple had been ill for some time, (their sickness being general debility and old age), but had been confined to bed only three days.

Mr. and Mrs. Becker were both born in Luexmburg, where they were married, and came to this country in 1854. They settled in Jackson county, where they remained six years and then moved to Key West, residing there until their death. They had six children, two of whom, Peter and Joseph, with their families, making 10 in all, were drowned in the Rockdale flood on the night of the Fourth of July, 1876, when over forty people lost their lives. Mrs. John Shields, the twin sister of Joseph, died of grief in March, 1877. The surviving children are Mat. Becker, who resides in Mosalem township; Mrs. Elizabeth Themmesch, of Brownsville, Minn., and Mrs. Catherine Henkles, whose husband, previous to his death, which occurred in June last, was the proprietor of the Nine Mile House in Peru township.

It is said that it had been the wish of the loving pair, as they walked toward the valley of the shadow of death, that they might be allowed to depart from this life as they had spent it -- together, and it seems their innocent desire was heard and granted by the Father of all, before Whom they appeared hand in hand, and are, let us hope, happy together in death as they had ever been in life.

Twenty-six grandchildren are living descendents of this worthy couple. One of the grandsons, Charles Timmisch, well known in this city, was saved in the Rockdale flood by clinging to the top of a tree. Joseph, it may be remembered, lost both of his arms several years before in a threshing machine.

The remains of the deceased will be interred this afternoon at 3 o'clock in the beautiful cemetery near which they spent a quarter of a century -- Key West. Peace to their ashes.