Elrod, William – 1861-1951

BERKENBOSCH, CARR, CLARK, ELROD, JARNAGIN, MCDANIEL, WAGNER

Posted By: JCGS Volunteer
Date: 5/31/2009 at 13:14:38

William Elrod Died Thursday at Home Daughter Monroe
Funeral Services Held Saturday at Monroe; Was in business in Colfax Number of Years
William Elrod, 90, died Thursday at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Ernest Wagner, near Monroe, following a general decline in health due to infirmities of age.
Mr. Elrod will be remembered in Colfax better as in the insurance business and later in a shoe store and shoe repairing. The most of his active life was spent on the farm in the vicinity of Prairie City and Monroe.
Funeral services for Wm. Elrod were held Saturday April 21, at 2 p.m. at the Pleasant Hill Methodist Church. Burial was at Griffith Cemetery.
Wm. Elrod, son of John & Mary Elrod was born at Elizabeth, Pa. on Feb. 21, 1861 and departed from this life at the home of his daughter Mrs. Ernest Wagner near Monroe, Iowa on April 19, 1951 at the age of 90 years, 1 month and 28 days.
On March 23, 1886 he was united in marriage to Henrietta Berkenbosch. To this union were born five children. He was preceded in death by his wife and one son, John Leroy who died at the age of 14.
On April 4th, 1943 he was united in marriage to Mrs. Mina Carr. She and her son Clyde Walker also preceded him in death.
He leaves to mourn his loss, 2 sons, Carl M. and William C. Elrod of Prairie City and 2 daughters, Mabel Jarnagin of Detroit, Michigan and Mazie Wagner of Monroe, 12 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, 1 sister Mrs. Alice Clark of Colfax, 2 brothers, Marton J. of Missoula, Montana and Orie of Kelso, Washington, a step-daughter, Vada McDaniel, of Newton and many other relatives and friends.
At the age of 8 years he came to Iowa with his parents, traveling by river steamer on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. With the exception of a short time in Marion County, the entire remainder of his life was spent in Jasper County.
During his early life he was engaged in farming. Later he was active in insurance and farm loan business. As advancing years made it difficult to carry on this work he began a shoe repair and sales business in Colfax and continued in this work until his health failed at the age of 85. Since that time he has made his home with his children.
He was converted to the Christian faith when a young man, united with the Methodist church and remained a faithful member for the rest of his life. At the time of his death he was a member of the Methodist church in Prairie City, but most of his active years of church life were spent in the Pleasant Hill Church, where he was a member of the official board and Supt. Of the Sunday School for a number of years.
He was a member of the Three Quarters Century Club and always took an interest in community and civic affairs.
He will be greatly missed by his family to whom he was an example of quiet tolerance and living life each day as it came.
Six grandsons acted as pallbearers. Music was furnished by Elmo Blackledge, Paul Brown, Mrs. William Lewis and Mrs. Chas. Rinehart.
Mrs. Gail Simmons, Mrs. Elmo Blackledge, and Mrs. Earl Brubaker had charge of the flowers.
Services were conducted by the Rev. Lester C. Hall and assisted by Rev. B. F. Buckingham.
Source: The Colfax (IA) Tribune; April 26, 1951, page 1, col. 5