Rebecca Bree Atherton (1955)

ATHERTON, BREE, CUSHMAN, MELBOURN

Posted By: Ida Morse (email)
Date: 12/30/2005 at 14:36:42

Earlham Library Obituaries January 1955
Earlham, Iowa

REBECCA BREE ATHERTON

Services for Rebecca Bree Atherton were held Friday afternoon, January 28, at 2:00 p.m. at the Methodist Church in Dexter, Rev. Clyde King in charge. Organ music was provided by Mrs. K. M. Chapler. Casket bearers were John Love, Andrew Patience, Jack Lorenzon, John Moreland, Adolph Jobst and A. W. Gibson. Della Gowdey, Ruth Sellers and Grace King took care of the flowers. Interment was in the Dexter Cemetery.

Rebecca Bree Atherton, daughter of Thomas and Ann Melbourn, was born November 7, 1856, at Lockport, Illinois, at (and) died at Dexter, Iowa, on January 26, 1955, at the age of 98 years, two months, and 19 days.

She was the fifth of nine children and the last one to leave this earthly home.

Her early years were spent in Illinois with her parents.

On October 12, 1875 she was married to Amos Pearley Atherton, who preceded her in death.

They were the parents of five children, two of which died early in life, Mary Ella and Abner Wilbur. One other, Claude Atherton, died in 1927. The other two George Atherton and Flossie Cushman, live in the Dexter community.

In 1898 she came to Iowa and they settled in the Penn Center neighborhood where they lived until they moved to town. Since the death of her husband she has lived alone in Dexter.

She leaves to cherish her memories, Mr. and Mrs. George Atherton, Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Cushman, Mrs. Margarite Atherton, ten grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, and other relatives and many friends.