Mrs. Eliza Rhodes, d. 1928

ABBEY, GARRETSON, RHODES

Posted By: Pat Ryan White (email)
Date: 10/15/2006 at 18:14:38

LOCAL PIONEER RESIDENT DIES
~Mrs. Milton Rhodes, Aged Resident Of This City, Succumbed Early Today~

Mrs. Milton Rhodes, pioneer resident of the city and one of the most prominent and respected of the older residents passed away at her home on North Van Buren Street early this morning. Mrs. Rhodes has been in failing health the past year but up until recently has been able to be up and about the home most of the time.

Few women of her age enjoyed the fullness of life as did Mrs. Rhodes, and few retain their interests in the community and all that transpired as she did. And altho she had reached her eighty-fifth year her mind was as active and clear as one of much younger years.

Three years ago Mrs. Rhodes was an honored guest at the Des Moines State Fair, being the oldest women in Iowa who had attended the first State Fair, which at that time was held at Fairfield, seventy-five years ago. She enjoyed to the limit every adventure which she had at that time, including a trip over Des Moines in an airplane.

Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes were married during the Civil war and Mr. Rhodes being an officer, was allowed to take his wife along with him. She assisted in many cases in the care of the wounded. Soon after the Civil war they moved to Mt. Pleasant and this has been her home since that time. The home where she passed away was the home which they occupied upon moving to Mt. Pleasant and which she has occupied continuously through the many years.

Mrs. Rhodes was a loyal member of the Universalist church, of the W. C. T. U., W. R. C. and D. A. R. organizations and was also one of the oldest members of the Ladies Library Association. She had an unusual interest in current affairs and politics and kept posted, through the paper, up to the very day of her death.

She is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Lillis Abbey of Nebraska who has spent the past year here caring for her mother, also one son, Frank Rhodes of Los Angeles, California. Mr. O. A. Garretson of this city is a cousin and the only surviving member of that branch of the family.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been made.

“Mt. Pleasant, Iowa”, Tuesday, August 28, 1928.
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FUNERAL RITES FOR MRS. RHODES
~Services Held At Universalist Church On Thursday Afternoon~

Funeral services for the late Mrs. Eliza Rhodes were held at the Universalist church Thursday afternoon at 2:30. A large number of friends gathered at the church to pay their last respects to this beloved and aged friend.

The services were simple. A beautiful violin solo was played by Miss Ethel Johnson. The reading of the scripture lesson followed by Rev. Laura B. Galer. An appropriate hymn was sung by Miss Amy Parsons. The message by Mrs. Galer then followed and thru all the kindly, useful and honorable life of the deceased was the theme. Through her eighty-five years of life none has been so interested in the good in the community, nor strove harder to make her town a better one than had Mrs. Rhodes.

Another violin solo and the benediction closed the brief services after which the remains were laid to rest at Forest Home cemetery amid the many lovely flowers which so mutely spoke of a great love of hundreds of friends.

The pall bearers were Messrs. R. S. Galer, W. H. Evans, Arthur Gillis, S. W. Shannon, A. H. Davis and Ed McAdam.

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BEQUEATHS $2,000 TO PUBLIC LIBRARY
~Mrs. Eliza Rhodes Requests In Will That $2,000 Be Used For Books~

Through the will of the late Eliza G. Rhodes which was recently filed at the court house the public library of this city is to receive a gift of $2,000 cash with provisions that the sum be used for the purchase of books.

The bequest was made by Mrs. Rhodes because of her interest in and love for the public library and the Ladies Library association of which she was one of the early members. Her interest in the library never slacked from the time when the small group of women worked so faithfully to keep the library alive, to the present day when the public library is an established institution.

By the terms of the will a son in California is left $4,000. In event of his death $2,000 of this sum is to be left to the public library. $1,000 will also then go to the Universalist church and $1,000 to Wallace Abbey, a grandson in Chicago.

The remainder of her estate is left to her only daughter, Mrs. Abbey.

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Newspaper clippings found in the scrapbooks of Mary [Blaut] Abraham, wife of Captain Lot Abraham; the scrapbooks are currently owned by their great-granddaughter, Martha [Wright] Allen, Mt. Pleasant, IA. [October 2006]