Riley, Alice Joanna Casey 1862-1948

RILEY, CASEY

Posted By: Lorelei Rusco (email)
Date: 5/25/2011 at 14:05:59

Riley, Alice Joanna Casey –
Mrs. Alice Riley, 86, died at 2 a.m. on December 25th at her home northwest of Lenox. Services were held at 2 p.m. at Mercer Center church on Monday, the Arnold Funeral Home in charge. Burial was at Corning.

Mrs. Riley had lived on the same farm since her marriage in 1882. She had been a resident of Adams county since she was 12 years of age. She was born in Henry county, near Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. She had been practically helpless since the first of December.

Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Mae Bennison of Lenox and Mrs. Ethel Bovaird of Prescott; two brothers, Harold and Harvey, both of Corning; three grandsons and two great grandchildren. Her husband and one son preceded her in death.
Lenox Time Table, Lenox, Iowa, Thursday, December 30, 1948

Riley, Alice Joanna Casey –
Alice Joanna, eldest daughter of John and Mary Catherine Casey, was born March 24, 1862 in Henry County, Iowa, and passed from this life Christmas morning, 1948, at her home at Mercer, aged 86 years 9 months and one day.

She was 12 years of age when she with her parents came to Adams county to Mercer township and located on the farm now occupied by Clifford Casey, where she grew to womanhood. She attended normal at Brooks Iowa, and prepared herself to teach in the schools of Adams county and taught two years.

She was married to Martin J. Riley Sept. 6, 1882 and started housekeeping on the farm where she was living at the time of her death. She lived there 66 years.

Five children came to bless this union – Harvey and Harold both of Corning, Mrs. Mae Bennison of Lenox and Mrs. Ethel Bovaird of Prescott. One son, Carl, passed at the age of four years. Also surviving are two sons-in-law, William Bennison and Claude Bovaird, and two daughters-in-law, Zepha and Grace Riley. Three grandsons, Carl and Donald Bovaird of Prescott and Robert Bennison of Lombard, Ill. Two great grandchildren, Delores and Dean Bovaird. Also one sister, Mrs. Lura Bush and three brothers, Franklin, L .L. and Charles Casey, all of Creston, besides many nieces and nephews and a host of friends.

Mrs. Margaret Moser of Sharpsburg, who made her home with them during the early part of her life, mourns with the rest of the family the loss of this good mother.

Mr. and Mrs. Riley were privileged to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary in September 1932. Mr. Riley passed away in 1933.

Mrs. Riley was always interested in the good of the community, but her chief interests were her family and her church. Especially did she love the young people and her interest in them and all her friends, with her cheerful disposition endeared her to all who knew her intimately. A host of friends will sadly miss her but the finest tribute that can be paid her is “She was a wonderful mother.”

Mrs. Riley served as communion steward for 30 years at the Mercer Center church.

Death is only a bend in the road of life. She has rounded the curve and is lost from sight for a little while. Such lives as hers live on and on. Her loving thoughtfulness, her devotion to her family and church, her loyalty to her friends leaves a memory never to be forgotten.

Funeral services were held at the Mercer Center church at 2 p.m. Dec. 27. Music was furnished by Mrs. Donald Bovaird, Mrs. Raymond Riley, and the Misses Rowena Brokaw and Esther Burkhalter.

Pallbearers were her closest neighbors, Raymond Bunting, George Schaffroth, Lee Brokaw, Clyde Herbst, Loyd Duncan and Raymond Riley.

She was laid to rest in Walnut Grove cemetery in Corning.
Lenox Time Table, Lenox, Iowa, Thursday, January 6, 1949