Hough, Fred William – 1868-1937

BOND, HOUGH, KENNEDY, MCCORD

Posted By: Diana Wagner
Date: 7/13/2021 at 21:35:40

Fred Hough, Newton Laundryman, Dies
Veteran Merchant Was Better Known For Musical Work
Family at His Bedside Friday Evening When Death Comes at 7:30 p.m.
Fred W. Hough, 68, proprietor of Newton’s only laundry and soloist in the Methodist Episcopal Church choir for over half a century, died Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Mr. Hough, a beloved native of Newton, lived here all his life and died within 50 feet of the house in which he was born.
Funeral services will be held at the Methodist Episcopal Church Sunday at 2:30 p.m. with the pastor, Dr. L. B. Logan in charge. Burial will be in Newton Union Cemetery.
Death resulted from a heart ailment and injuries received in a fall while crossing a downtown intersection in October 1935. He had been unable to take an active part in his laundry business for over a year.
Community Service
While he had been in the laundry business here for over 37 years, he was best known for his service to the community as vocal soloist and as a trap drummer in Newton bands.
Fred Hough was born July 30, 1868, in a house located on the same lot on which he later was to make a home for his wife and daughter. The house in which he was born still stands but was moved to one side of the lot when the new house was constructed.
Parents From Virginia
He was the son of William and Elizabeth (Bond) Hough, who were of old Virginia stock and moved to Newton from Loudon County, Virginia in 1858.
Besides Fred there were four other children, Arthur M., Lilia and Grace, all now deceased, and Mrs. Carrie McCord, who survives him.
Surviving him in his immediate family are his wife and daughter, Marjorie, an instructor in Doane College at Crete, Neb. Both were with him at the time of his passing last evening.
Educated in Newton
Mr. Hough received his education in the Newton public schools and on March 22, 1899, he and his brother-in-law, Carl Kennedy, took over Wing’s Model Laundry and inaugurated the C.O.D. Laundry. Mr. Kennedy continued in the business for five years. Mr. Hough changed the name of the business to Hough’s White Laundry in 1915.
When he first became a laundryman, the plant was located in a two-room building on the corner now occupied by Newton’s present post office building. One room was occupied by the laundry, while the other was the location for the old Newton Journal published by F. L. Boyden.
In 1910, Mr. Hough moved the laundry to the building on First Avenue East, which is now occupied by the state liquor store, and in 1918 he erected the present home of the Hough White laundry on the corner of West Second Street South and South Second Avenue West.
Musical Work
Although the laundry business necessarily took a great deal of Mr. Hough’s time, he devoted almost as much of his time to musical work.
He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church choir even before he became a business man, having been a soloist at the church for more than 52 years. Though a very sick man, Mr. Hough made his last appearance in the choir on Palm Sunday last year. He was to have sung a solo, but collapsed in the choir loft just a few minutes before his opportunity came.
He had played in Newton bands for over 55 years. He was one of the few remaining charter members of the old Knights Templar band. He began playing in the band, now the Newton Municipal band, when he was scarcely 10 years of age.
Gave up Band
He had to give up playing in the band last summer and missed playing drums in the Memorial Day concert for the first time in over half a century. Although he no longer was strong enough to play in concerts, Mr. Hough’s desire to keep up with his music was so great that even last summer he attended one practice session, carrying his drums to city hall as he had done for years.
An active Shriner, Mr. Hough was at one time a member of the Shrine drum corps.
Thousands of Funerals
During his lifetime Mr. Hough could always be depended upon to sing at funerals when he was asked – no matter how busy he was. He sang at thousands of funerals and it is regretted that he kept no count of the exact number.
During one six-year period Mr. Hough sang at over 400 funerals for one church.
He was active in both civic and church affairs. Mr. Hough was for years a member of the men’s Sunday school class of his church board of trustees. He was a steward of the church when he died.
Charter Rotarian
He was a charter member of the Newton Rotary club and had served on the board of directors, although he often expressed the wish that he not be made an officer of any organization. He was also a Mason and a member of the Chamber of Commerce for many years.
Members of the Rotary club will meet at Hotel Maytag at 2:15 p.m. and attend the funeral in a body.
(photo included)
Source: Newton Daily News; Saturday, January 2, 1937

Hough, Fred William; born: 30 July 1868; in Iowa; died: 01 Jan. 1937; Mother’s maiden name: Bond; Death Cert # C50-0020