Lois Mae (Spear) Mapes (1960)

MAPES, SPEAR, GIBBS, GILMAN, PIPER, SARCHET, FRASER, HUTCHENSON

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler (email)
Date: 7/18/2008 at 10:59:11

Earlham Echo – June 1960

Obituary

Lois Mae Spear, daughter of Frank and Letty Spear, was born August 14, 1887 at Algona.

She received her education in the Algona Schools. In November 1905 she came to Madison County, Iowa, to be with her aunt Lucy Spear Gibbs and family. While there she met Festus Mapes who later became her husband. She returned home in June, but due to her aunt’s health returned again in September and stayed until they left their home in March to move to Algona. She helped care for her “mother” two years and continued to keep house for her father and younger brothers and sisters.

On January 25, 1912 she was united in marriage to Festus A. Mapes at Algona and came to Earlham to live on a farm in Madison County. To this union three daughters were born: Irene Gilman, Frances Piper, and Ruth Gilman.

She was baptized January 31, 1915 and joined the Penn Center Methodist Church where she remained a faithful member until the spring of 1957 when she and her husband moved to Stuart and had their membership transferred to the Stuart Methodist Church.

Festus passed away February 28, 1958.

She is survived by two sisters: Mrs. Bertha Sarchet and Mrs. Mildred Fraser, both of Algona; four brothers: Sidney of Algona, William of Elkton, Minnesota, Arthur of Sherburn, Minnesota, Virgil of Des Moines; her three daughters already mentioned; six grandchildren: Howard Gilman of Graettinger, Iowa, Doris Jean Hutchenson of Des Moines, Milcena and Craig Gilman of Stuart, and Shirley and Alice Piper of West Des Moines; one great granddaughter, Jennifer Anne; besides a number of nieces and nephews.

Note: Burial was made in the Penn Center cemetery.