O'Neal, Corwin (1867-1948)

ONEAL, MOTE, DELONG, BENSON, DIMMITT, TWEED

Posted By: C. Tucker (email)
Date: 4/6/2016 at 04:52:47

OBITUARY:

Times Republican
Marshalltown, IA [Saturday 2-14-1948] p. 2

CORWIN O’NEAL, COUNTY NATIVE, IS DEAD AT 80

Corwin O’Neal, publisher of the LeGrand Report more than 34 years, died Friday afternoon in a Des Moines hospital where he had been a patient several days. Death was of a stroke. A lifelong resident of Marshall county, Mr. O’Neal was born in Marshalltown July 21, 1867, the son of Charles O’Neal and Olive Mote O’Neal. The family moved to LeGrand at an early date. He started setting type in the office of the old LeGrand Record in 1885. He attended Friends academy at LeGrand and Capital City Commercial college at Des Moines. He received his B.S. degree from Penn college at Oskaloosa in 1896. FIRST TAUGHT SCHOOL In 1896 he taught school for a year in LeGrand after which he became a representative of the old Redpath Lyceum bureau, traveling the entire country in the interest of the organization. LeGrand had been without a newspaper for several years when Mr. O’Neal decided to enter the field and in 1909 he started the paper. Publication was suspended in 1944. With the passing of the LeGrand Reporter one of the few remaining hand-set and hand-printed publications was removed from the Iowa journalistic field. Mr. O’Neal and his wife had celebrated their gold wedding anniversary Jan. 1 of this year at their home in LeGrand. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and the Friends church. SIX CHILDREN SURVIVE Besides the widow, Mrs. Kittie DeLong O’Neal, he leaves six children, Hazel O’Neal of Des Moines; Hugh in Kokomo, Ind.; Charles, Anacortes, Wash.; Earl, Naperville, Ill.; Mrs. Karl Benson, Arlington, Va.; Roy O’Neal; 14 grandchildren and three great grandchildren. A sister, Mrs. Callie Dimmitt of Des Moines also survives. One daughter, Mrs. Grace Tweed, died in 1942. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday in charge of Rev. Lewis Savage. Burial will be at Pleasant Hill cemetery near LeGrand. The body is at the Estel funeral home.