Thomas L. Gillespie

GILLESPIE, KIERNAN, GRASSMAN, WHITE, MELROY, WRIGHT, BOUDEWYNS

Posted By: Mary Welty Hart (email)
Date: 3/2/2006 at 21:16:44

Winterset Madisonian, Winterset, Iowa
October 2, 1946

THOMAS L. GILLESPIE Died on Monday

Thomas L. Gillespie, formerly a well-known Crawford township farmer and a Winterset resident for the past seven years, died Monday morning at his home here. Death was caused by a heart attack. He was 75 years of age.

Mr. Gillespie was a life-long resident of this county. He was born April 11, 1871, in Crawford township, the son of James and Anne Kiernan Gillespie. He was the youngest of seven children.

Most of his active years were spent as a farmer in Crawford township, where he took an active part in community affairs, serving in township and school district offices. For 35 years he served as director of the Madison county Farm Mutual Insurance association, and for 27 years was president of that organization. Since moving to Winterset in 1939 he had operated a tavern here.

He was married at Churchville on Jan. 19, 1904, to Elizabeth Grassman of that community. They were the parents of seven children, one daughter, Helen, dying in infancy.

He leaves his wife, of Winterset; six children, Frank Gillespie at home, Mrs. Marie White of Winterset; Mrs. Dorothy Melroy, and Mrs. Irene Wright of Davenport; Leo Gillespie of Winterset; and John Gillespie of Guthrie Center; one sister, Mrs. Gertrude Boudewyns of Des Moines; and eight grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Wednesday with requiem mass at St. Joseph's Catholic church in Winterset, in charge of the pastor, the Rev. J. J. Judge. Burial was made in the family lot at the Churchville cemetery.