Henry Shafer (1891)

SHAFER

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler
Date: 12/22/2007 at 18:19:30

The Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Friday, March 6, 1891
Page 2

The name Grandpa Shaffer is a familiar title in every household of the community in which he lived and had been spoken of often by childhood, up to aged manhood. His children, grandchildren and friends who survive him with his neighbors all may learn lessons of good through his going in and out among them. He had a love for his children, grandchildren and kind regards and well wishes for all with whom he mingled. He was kind, gentle in manner and conversation.

For twenty years we have known him, and at every coming together have grasped the warm hand of friendship, mostly at the home of his only son, where we have seen his tender care and love for his grandchildren, by rocking them in the cradle of babyhood and dandling them upon his knees in tender childhood. Then let us all who survive this aged father love and revere the silver locks and furrowed cheeks of hoary age and let his mantle of love and friendship fall upon our shoulders and dwell in our hearts.

Father Shafer in his old age, was a man of unusual vitality and action of body, but the last two years of his life he gradually failed in mind and body and became quite a charge to those who had the care of him, more especially from the only son, and his family was this care given and known. Thus from this on without much pain of body, he gradually went down, bearing all with patience and resignation yet able to be up and on his feet till the last week of his life, when on the afternoon of Feb. 12th, without a struggle he quietly passed away, and the spirit of this aged father took its flight to that who gave it, leaving one son, eight daughters, thirty-six grandchildren and thirteen great grand-children and many friends and acquaintances to mourn his loss.

On Feb. 13th after a short funeral service the body was conveyed to the North Branch cemetery, followed by the friends and neighbors and laid in the tomb, the silent home of the dead.

Transcriber note: Surname on gravestone is "Shafer".

Gravesite
 

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