Susannah Mary (Mundorff) Coates (1923)

COATES, MUNDORFF, BICKLE, COLGIN

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler (email)
Date: 1/2/2009 at 11:50:59

Earlham Library Collection
Earlham Echo

Susannah Mary Mundorff, daughter of David and Sarah Stanley Mundorf was born August 25, 1845 in York county, Pennsylvania, and passed away Feb. 25, 1923, at the age of 77 years and 6 months.

When she was five weeks old she moved westward with her parents. They traveled west as far as the Ohio River until they got to Henderson county, Ill., where they settled. Here she grew to womanhood. After finishing the eighth grade in the county school she attended school at Oquaka and also took a course in business at the Galesburg school. In 1870 she came to Dexter, Iowa. From Dexter she went to Osceola county and taught in a country school. Here she met William C. Coates and was married November 19, 1873. Three children were born to this union. The oldest died when about a month old. In 1877 she and her family moved to Madison county and lived there until 1902 when they moved southwest of Redfield. In 1908 they moved into Redfield. Her husband, Mr. Coates, died in 1915 in the same month and on the same day of the month eight years prior to Mrs. Coates’ death. Since then she has lived with Mrs. Lucy Bickle.

Early in life Mrs. Coates became a Christian, and united with the Presbyterian Church. She remained a member of this church until she came to Redfield where she joined the Methodist Episcopal Church. While at school at Galesburg she taught a group of colored children in a mission Sunday School. From early in life to the end she lived a beautiful Christian life. In her recent severe sickness she spoke often of being ready to go to the heavenly home, and when the end did come it was just as if she entered into a peaceful sleep.

Mrs. Coates was a member of the Venus Rebecca Lodge in this place. She was also one of the charter members of the Woman’s Relief Corps of Redfield.

She leaves to mourn her loss two children Mrs. Lucy Bickle, and Charles J. Coates; her grandchildren; also Margaret L. Colgin whom she reared and who is now in Trinidad, Colorado, and Arthur A. Mundorff, her nephew, who made his home with her for some time and is now at Lincoln, Nebraska, and her brother Aaron Mundorff.