HOSTETTER, Luther 1879-1925

HOSTETTER, MILLER

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 3/20/2015 at 22:24:59

Luther Hostetter Dies Suddenly at Miami, Florida

Death Was A Shock To Relatives And Friends who Are Many Hereabouts

Was Not Known to be Sick

Remains Will In All Probability Be Brought Here for Funeral and Burial

A message was received here by relatives this (Thursday) morning from Miami, Florida, stating that Luther Hostetter had passed away at that place. The message was signed by Walter Miller, who, with Mr. Hostetter and their families were sojourning in Florida.

No particulars of his sudden death were contained in the message and the relatives here are at a loss to know what was the trouble for he was not known to be sick in any way.

Mr. and Mrs. Hostetter, who lived for many years on a farm a mile south of Morrison until moving to Waterloo a few years ago, are widely known in Grundy county, where they have a large number of relatives and friends.

For the past few winters the family, together with Mr. and Mrs. Walter Miller, of this place, have been sojourning in Miami, Florida. Last spring Mr. and Mrs. Hostetter did not return north as usual, Luther getting into the real estate business down there and remaining over.

The message of his death came as a great shock to relatives and friends hereabouts, and more particulars will be anxiously awaited.

It is presumed that the remains will be brought north for the last rites.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 12 March 1925, pg 1

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Last Sad Rites Of Luther Hostetter

Final Services Held at Reinbeck and Morrison on Tuesday

Our community was saddened with the announcement in last week's Register of the death of Luther Hostetter, so well known in Grundy county where his home had been for many years. It was during a temporary residence at Miami, Florida, and after a very brief illness that he passed away on March 12th, 1925, aged 45 years, 7 months and 10 days.

M. Luther Hostetter, son of Mr. and Mrs. Abram Hostetter, was born at Blaine, Penna., August 2nd, 1879, where he lived until as a young man of twenty he came west to Iowa and settled in Grundy county. He was united in marriage with Sadie Miller on March th, 1903, and into their happy life was born a daughter, Helen Marlys. The home has always been in Grundy county until five years ago when the family moved to Waterloo, where they have resided with the exception of the last year and a half which was spent in Miami, Florida.

Mr. Hostetter's life has been an active one, being engaged in farming until his recent home was established in Waterloo. He had made a success of his work, formed a wide circle of friends in both business and social relationships, was highly respected by everyone who knew him and was anticipating a less strenuous life ahead for himself and loved ones when the call came to leave them and come up higher. He will long be remembered as one whose ambition was to secure and help by kindly word and deed. He was an outstanding Christian man in his life, wherever it was lived. As a youth, he united with the Lutheran church in Blaine, Penna., and when he settled in Grundy county became a member of the Presbyterian church in Morrison. There his light shone in witness of his faith in Jesus Christ. For a time he was Superintendent of the Sunday School and for years an elder in that church. While living in Waterloo, Mr. Hostetter was elected to membership of the session of the Westminster Presbyterian church of that city, became a member of the Men's Brotherhood there and his life counted there for the things that are eternal. While in Florida these religious relationships were ever a delight to him.

Mr. Hostetter is survived by his wife and daughter, Helen Marlys, who will make their home in Grundy Center; also by his loving mother, Mrs. Sarah Hostetter, and the following brothers, William H., Lawrence, Lau, Lyle and Ralph, all of Grundy Center; a sister, Mrs. B. J. Stum, of Reinbeck; and Nellie and John of Chicago.

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Miller, the later a sister of Mrs. Hostetter, were with the Hostetters in Florida during the last winter, attended Mr. Hostetter during his illness and accompanied his bereaved wife and daughter to Reinbeck, where the body was taken to the home of Mr. and Mrs. T. W. Mooty on Monday of this week. Funeral services were held at Miami, Florida, conducted by Dr. John Harris, of the Presbyterian church of that city, and the Rev. Dr. Brundage, a close friend and associate of Mr. Hostetter and pastor of the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

At Reinbeck, Tuesday, March 17th, brief services were held at the home of Mr. Mooty conducted by Rev. Earl William Benbow, of the Presbyterian church of Grundy Center, assisted by the Rev. Mr. Pollock, of the United Presbyterian church Reinbeck. The body was then taken to the Presbyterian church at Morrison where the service was conducted by the Rev. Mr. Benbow, assisted by Rev. L. R. Smith pastor of the Morrison Presbyterian church. Beautiful music was rendered by Mrs. Jack Souers, assisted by Miss Irene Petersen. The interment was made in the cemetery at Morrison.

The following expressing of sympathy from the session of the Westminster Presbyterian church of Waterloo was read at the service in the church and indicates the esteem in which Luther Hostetter was held by men who came to know him intimately:

Waterloo, Iowa, March 17, 1925
To all those who today are bereaved by the departure from our midst of the spirit of Luther Hostetter:
The members of the session of the Westminster Presbyterian church of Waterloo, Iowa, desire to express the sense of our common loss with you in the calling to his eternal home of our brother in Christ and fellow laborer in the church and session. Words can never express the grief which we know is felt by the devoted wife and daughter and by those with who he moved so closely in his well-ordered Christian life. Nor can words express the sympathy of the members of the session towards the bereaved for we have come to know Luther Hostetter as a splendid Christian spirit who sought to walk in the ways of his Lord by precept and example. He has gone home to be with God where his life is consummated with that reward of faithfulness and obedience which is the final and glorious inheritance of the saints of light. We commend you to God, the loving Father of us all, whose power to comfort and bless those that sorrow is best expressed for us thru our Divine Friend who once for all bore our griefs and carried our sorrows upon the Cross that we may with hope look forward to the day when God shall unite the severed ties of our earthly loves in that glorious realm about His throne.

By order of the Moderator and session of the Westminster Presbyterian church of Waterloo, Iowa, March 17th, 1925.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 19 March 1925, pg 6