Ida Mary (Nickle) Steel (1948)

DEMARS, NICKLE, PLUMLEY, RAND, ROTH, STEEL, STEELE, STEWART

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler
Date: 3/5/2024 at 11:55:43

The Laurens Sun
Laurens, Iowa
Thursday, August 12, 1948
Page 1, Column 5

Hold Services For Mrs. Ida Steele, Oldest Resident

Funeral services for Mrs. Ida Steele, Laurens’ oldest resident, were held Friday afternoon. There was a short service at 2 p.m. at the McKee funeral home, and another one later at the Church of Christ. The Rev. Emmeet Nafe was in charge of the services. Interment was in the Laurens cemetery.

Mrs. Dawson Larson and Anna Mae Ducommun sang “Safe in the Arms of Jesus” at the funeral home, and “Let The Lower Lights Be Burning,” “Beautiful Isle of Somewhere” and “Some Day” at the church.

Pall bearers were Elmer Ducommun, Don Larson, Darwin Larson, Elmer Larson, Louis Lookabaugh and Leslie Murray.

Ida Mary Nickle was born in St. Charles, Ia., June 29, 1861, and died at her home in Laurens, Aug. 4, 1948, at the age of 87 years, one month and six days.

First Home Built

She was married to T. B. Steele in St. Charles, Dec. 26, 1880, and came to Laurens two years later. Their home was the first home built in Laurens. There were only three other families here when they came, and there were not enough children to start a school. Mrs. Steele planted the first tree in Laurens and also claimed the honor of dressing the first baby born here.

In 1892 Mrs. Steele was instrumental in bringing Evangelist Bruce Brown to Laurens for a series of meetings, and from those meetings the present Church of Christ grew.

Survivors

She leaves to mourn her passing an adopted son, Frank, of Nevis, Minn.; nine grandchildren, Mrs. Alice Rand, Mrs. Mary Plumley, George, Cyril and Lloyd, all of Nevis; Mrs. Given Roth of Portland, Ore.; Mrs. Mavis Demars of Shelby, Mont.; Mrs. Dorothy Stewart of Dorena, Ore.; and Mrs. Phyllis Roth of Myrtle Point, Ore. There are 20 great grandchildren surviving. Mrs. Steele was preceded in death by her husband, who died in 1930.
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Transcriber’s note: Typed as printed in the Laurens Sun. Last name is Steel.

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