Earley, Earnest L. – 1871-1937

ALBEE, ASHING, BROOKE, EARLEY, EFNOR, VAN HOESEN

Posted By: Diana Wagner
Date: 7/13/2021 at 21:35:37

Earnest Earley Dies After Short Illness
Popular Church Leader Stricken; Services Sunday
Dies at 10:30 p.m. at Iowa Methodist Hospital Friday Night
Was Reported to Have Been Improving Somewhat Friday Afternoon; Suffered with Influenza
Earnest L. Earley, 65, evangelist and religious leader, died Friday at 10:30 p.m. at the Iowa Methodist hospital in Des Moines, where he had been a patient since Tuesday.
An autopsy was being performed in Des Moines today to determine the exact cause of his death.
Mr. Earley, candidate for mayor in the recent municipal election, was taken ill with influenza Friday, March 26, and the activity of election is believed to have aggravated his illness.
However, his death came as a shock to relatives and friends as his condition was believed to be improved earlier in the day Friday. His wife was at his bedside when the end came.
Funeral services will be conducted from the Methodist Episcopal church of which he was an active member, Sunday at 4:00 p.m. Dr. Leslie B. Logan, pastor of the Newton church, will be in charge assisted by the Rev. Russell G. Nye, pastor of the Colfax Methodist Episcopal church.
It has been requested that no flowers be sent for the services. The casket will be open this evening at the Toland funeral home, it was announced.
Members of the Service Star legion will attend the services in a body.
Earnest L. Earley, son of George Gregory and Laura P. Earley, was born at Granville, Ia., Aug. 24, 1871 the eldest of seven children born to this union.
In March 1872, when Mr. Earley was less than a year old, the family moved to Jasper county to a farm in Palo Alto township south east of Newton.
Mr. Earley spent his boyhood on the farm and attended the rural schools of Jasper county and Hazel Dell Academy in Newton.
Of a talented family, Mr. Earley traveled throughout the state and also the nation as a singing evangelist. His sister, the late Carrie L. Earley, is remembered for her many works of poetry and her song “Iowa, Fairest of Earth,” and another sister, Mrs. Lettie Earley-Van Hoesen was at one time dean of music at Adrian College, Adrian, Mich., and taught music in Newton for many years.
On Dec. 10, 1895, Mr. Earley was united in marriage to Dalay Brooke, a native resident of Jasper county, to this union one daughter, LaNore, was born.
For many years in local insurance and real estate business, Mr. Earley also served as clerk of court of Jasper county for four years.
He was special agent of the Northwestern National Insurance company of Milwaukee, Wis., for the Iowa-Nebraska territory for 10 years, but for the last 13 years had devoted most of his time to evangelistic work.
Mr. Earley had conducted evangelistic meetings in Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Iowa.
While engaged in this work, he was made lay preacher of the Newton Methodist Episcopal church, which licensed him to preach. He preached at the Methodist Episcopal church at Ladora, Ia., for two years at the beginning of his evangelistic career, and for the past year had been preaching periodically at Red Rock, Ia.
He was always an ardent worker in the Newton church, having served as Sunday school superintendent, as choir leader and as Sunday school treasurer.
He was teacher of the Gang Sunday school class since before the World War. It was disbanded during the war as all of the members were in service, but was reorganized again following the war.
In the recent “Back-to-Church” movement, conducted by the Jasper County Ministerial Association, Mr. Earley took an active part and preached and sang at a number of the district meetings held in connection with the campaign.
Mr. Earley was preceded in death by four sisters, Mattie, Mamie, Carrie and Maude Earley and two half-brothers, George Ashing and Wilbur Earley.
Surviving relatives include his wife; his daughter, Mrs. Henry E. Efnor, two grandchildren, Lona Bess Efnor and Edwin Efnor, Jr.; a sister, Mrs. Lettie Earley-Van Hoesen of Hollywood, Calif., and a brother, George Earley of northeast of Newton.
Source: Newton Daily News; Saturday, April 10, 1937

Earley Services Held Here Sunday
Methodist Church Filled With Relatives and Friends For Final Rites
Nearly 1,000 relatives and friends crowded into the First Methodist Episcopal church Sunday afternoon to attend funeral services for Earnest L. Earley, 65, evangelist and lay preacher.
Dr. Leslie B. Logan, pastor of the church, conducted the services, assisted by the Rev. Russell G. Nye, pastor of the Colfax Methodist church.
Recorded music of “Crossing the Bar” and “One Sweetly Solemn Thought,” favorites of Mr. Earley, formed an effective setting for the services.
Pall Bearers
Interment was in the Newton Union cemetery, with members of the Methodist Gang class, of which Mr. Early was teacher, serving as pall bearers. They were James Page, Floyd Huss, Joe Babb, Leslie Bean, Vernal Grant and Arthur Lindquist.
The 4-0 and Gang classes of the church and the Service Star Legion attended the services as separate groups.
Among those from out-of-town were G. W. Russell and Mr. and Mrs. Don Russell of Oskaloosa; Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Brooke, Letha and Ruby, of Blakesburg; Mr. and Mrs. George Johnson and son of St. Paul; Mr. and Mrs. H. C, Gates of Ladora; Mr. and Mrs. Hudson Smith of Des Moines; Mr. and Mrs. M. Gunderson of Norway, Ia.; Rev. and Mrs. Everett Sabin of Vinton; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Rogers, Mrs. Adam Kell, Mrs. Henry Reichart and Rilla York of Ladora; Mr. and Mrs. W. M. Shaw of Des Moines; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Efnor of Monroe and Mr. and Mrs. Harold Efnor of Knoxville. There were also groups from Colfax and Red Rock.
Died Friday
Mr. Earley died Friday night at the Iowa Methodist hospital in Des Moines, where he had been a patient since Tuesday suffering with influenza. An autopsy, performed Saturday, revealed that death was caused by an aneurysm of the aorta and complications. The aorta is the great artery carrying the blood from the heart to all parts of the body.
Surviving relatives include his wife, Mrs. Daisy Brooke Earley; a daughter, Mrs. Henry E. Efnor of Newton; a sister, Mrs. Lettie Earley-Van Hoesen of Hollywood, Calif., a brother, George Earley of northeast of Newton, and a half-sister, Mrs. W. T. Albee of Newton.
Source: Newton Daily News; Monday, April 12, 1937