Winifred Wherry 1885-1945

WHERRY, SCHAEFER

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 2/28/2021 at 07:19:50

August 9, 1945 - The Anamosa Journal

WYOMING - Funeral service for Winifred Wherry was held Saturday afternoon from the Harrington Funeral home with the Rev. Robert Allen, Mechanicsville, former Wyoming Presbyterian pastor, in charge. Burial was in the Wyoming cemetery.

Winifred Wherry was born Sept. 6, 1885, in Oxford township, Jones county, daughter of John Taggert and Elizabeth Sykes Wherry. Her childhood was spent on the farm on which her father's father had pioneered. She was graduated from the Wyoming high school, then attended Tabor college, going on to graduate in piano and pipe organ from the Monmouth college Conservatory of Music. Since then her life has been devoted to teaching. She taught pipe organ and piano at Cooper college in Sterling, Kan., presenting some concerts during that time.

She turned from college conservatory music instructions to public school music teaching and taught in Garner and Manchester, Ia.; Clarkston, Wash., and Mountain Iron, Minn. In Mountain Iron, she was supervisor of music in an extensive school system. Records played at her funeral service were gifts to her from her pupils in the Mountain Iron schools.

At various times, Winifred did graduate work in music and education at Iowa State Teachers college, Iowa State university and Cornell college. She also studied under Jaques Jolas, Columbia university in New York, and Northwestern university. She studied choral methods under Dr. F. E. Melius Christiansen of St. Olaf's college, and piano with Rudolph Ganz in Chicago.

Winifred was active in the Minnesota Federated Women's clubs; P.E.O.; Business and Professional Women's club; the national honorary professional music society, Beta Alpha Gamma, and many church and social groups.

She was reared in the United Presbyterian faith, and wherever her teaching took her, she was a leader in the music of the local churches, either playing the organ, directing choirs or both, and at the time of her death she was a member of the Presbyterian church in Mountain Iron.

Illness came to her in the autumn of 1942, and since that time, she has been in or near her home in Wyoming. Death came to her quietly on Aug. 1, at St. Luke's hospital, in Cedar Rapids.

Survivors are her brother, Don, Wyoming; a sister, Mrs. Beth Wherry Schaefer, Olympia, Wash.; two nephews and two nieces. She was preceded in death by her parents.

Those from out-of-town attending the services were Mrs. Harvey Baird, Cedar Falls; Mrs. W. G. Krouse and Mr. and Mrs. Ed Jurgensen, Cedar Rapids.