Miles, Mabel Leona 1881-1914

MILES, TAYLOR

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 2/22/2010 at 10:17:54

Mrs. Sayer Miles Passed Away at 9 O’clock Sunday Morning

Had been Confined to her bed for more than 4 months.

Leaves Husband, Two Children, Sister and Brother

Was a Fine Christian Character-Energetic Church Worker-Was Talented Woman

After four months of sickness a very remarkable Christian life came to an end yesterday morning at 9 o’clock, when Mrs. Sayer Miles passed away at her home on South Market Street. The end had been expected for some time and occasioned little surprise by near relatives and friends who had watched incessantly at her bedside for the last few weeks.

Mrs. Miles suffered a slight infection some four months ago. She finally overcame the desperate struggle with blood poisoning, however, but her body was so weakened that she never regained her accustomed strength. Complications set in which doubtless had been threatening for several months-if not for years-previous. For several weeks past she had taken but little nourishment and as a result she was virtually helpless during the final weeks of her illness.

Until one week ago she was confident of her complete recovery. She ever spoke optimistically of the future when she would again be able to take charge of her home. Not until a week ago when she insisted on knowing her real condition was she told by her physician and her husband that life was impossible. She set about planning her departure at once and the last six days of her life was replete with plans for her family and her friends. She expressed to her husband and sister the minutest details for her funeral, and arranged to have them give to her relatives and friends many little keepsakes and tokens of friendship.

While from the beginning of her sickness she had ever expressed the most ardent hope for the restoration of her health, when told that her hopes could not be realized she accepted it peacefully and seemed quite as eager to begin another life as she had been to continue the life here which she had lived so well. One of her last requests was to see her four months old baby and her little daughter, Mary Elizabeth, just three years old. Her thought fullness of others even when near death is exemplified by the fact she did not tell the child of the saddest fact that was about to come into the little one’s life. She remarked about her pretty umbrella and after asking about some of her play things and new dresses, bade her goodbye, never to see her again.

Mabel Leona Taylor Miles was born October 10, 1881, on a farm northeast of Monroe. She was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Taylor. Her father died in 1896 and her mother passed away in 1907. In 1896 after the father had died Mrs. Taylor and her two daughters moved to Newton and have lived here ever since. The deceased was married to Sayer Miles April 18th, 1905.

In addition to a sorrowing husband who has watched night after night at her bedside Mrs. Miles leaves two children, Mary Elizabeth, aged three years and Robert Sayer, four months old, a sister Cecil, at home, and a brother, W. I. Taylor, of Sundance, Wyoming. Both brothers and sister were here when death came. The sister came home from her school at Estherville some weeks ago to take care of her sister and the brother came from Wyoming about one week ago.

Mrs. Miles was a woman of noble Christian character and splendid ability. She was a conversationalist of rare talent and possessed in unusual measure the capabilities that go to make up aggressive leadership.

She was a member of the united Presbyterian Church and was a faithful worker in the missionary society and the Fortnightly circle. She was church organist for more than fourteen years. In honor of her capable and self-sacrificing work in the missionary society the local organization voted a life membership for her daughter, Mary Elizabeth, some months ago-an honor that entailed an expense of twenty-five dollars. Mrs. Miles was never too busy to co-operate with every work that looked toward the advancement of her church’s interests and her home was ever open for the entertainment of church societies whenever the various organizations wanted to make use of some private home.

The funeral will be held tomorrow morning at the U.P. Church. Rev. Chisholm will be in charge and burial will be made in the Newton Cemetery.
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Funeral of Mrs. Miles Held This A.M.

U. P. Church is Crowded to its Capacity – Wealth of Flowers Tell of Widespread Sympathy

The funeral of Mrs. Sayer Miles was held this morning at 10 o’clock at the United Presbyterian Church. The church was filled to its capacity with relatives and friends of the deceased. The music was furnished by a quartet composed of Mrs. Grave Allen, Mrs. Lettie Van Hoesen, Fred Hough and Harold Finch with Miss Blanch Warner at the organ. Rev. Chisholm of the United Presbyterian Church delivered a stron sermon containing words of admonition and sympathy for the living and highest eulogy of the departed. The pallbearers were Messrs. T. J. Campbell, Frank E. Hill, Roy Kelley, Earl Vance, Elmer Herron and Jim Rhodes. Seldom has a funeral been held at the local church in which such a wealth of flowers told of the sympathy of friends. ~ Newspaper unknown.

Transcriber note: Death date taken from Newton Union Cemetery Records.