Catherine Leeper Garmire (1948)

GARMIRE, LEEPER, NEFF, ROSS, KREINER

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler (email)
Date: 2/13/2007 at 16:02:04

Earlham Echo - February 1948
Earlham, Iowa

Mrs. Catherine Leeper Garmire, daughter of Hezekiah and Nancy Leeper, was born in Holmes county, Ohio, October 19th, 1855 and passed away at the Wilden hospital in Des Moines, February 17th, 1948 at the age of 92 years, three months and 29 days.

At the age of 14 she moved from Ohio with her parents to a farm near Redfield, Dallas county, Iowa. The family later moved to Penn township, Madison county, Iowa, where she lived until her marriage.

She was united in marriage to Theopolis (Theophilus) Garmire in March 1876. After her marriage she moved with her husband to Colorado. To this union five children were born.

She and her family enjoyed a happy home in Colorado until death came to separate her from her husband, July 16th, 1890.

After the death of her husband, as she was left alone with five small children to care for, she decided to return to Iowa where she would be near her realtives. She lived for a few years in Penn township, afterward moving to her home in Dexter where she spent the greater part of her life. Four years ago she came to make her home with her daughter, Mrs. John Neff, in Earlham. On February 11th she fell and broke the large bone of her right limb. She was immediately taken to the Wilden hospital in Des Moines, where all that loving care could do was done for her, but the odds were too great and she passed away February 17th.

She was a member of the Methodist church, having joined the Penn Center Methodist church during her girlhood.

She leaves to mourn her loss three daughters, Mrs. Mae Neff of Earlham; Elmira Ross of Dexter; and Myrtle Kreiner of Hampton, Iowa; and one son, John Garmire of Yakima, Washington. One son, Ellsworth Garmire preceded her in death in 1918.

(Burial was made in the Penn Center cemetery)