MICKELWAIT, Joy C.

MICKELWAIT, JAMES, LONG, MAXWELL, MOORE, HAMILTON, DARTING, DOWELL, ANDERSON, BLACKBURN, HOLLINGSHEAD, WIDOWS, ALLEN, DEAN, RATHKE, BARNES, HOPP, MCMANIGAL, CHEYNEY, ESTES, COOK, BOGART

Posted By: Elaine Harrington (email)
Date: 11/9/2006 at 06:10:24

GLENWOOD OPINION TRIBUNE
DATED JULY 8, 1943

Death came suddenly to Joy C. Mickelwait while he was encamped with the Glenwood Headquarters Company in their annual two weeks of training at Camp Dodge near Des Moines. He passed away at 1:30 P.M. Friday at the Veterans’ Hospital in that city after an illness of about twenty-four hours. is family was advised by telephone call of the seriousness of his condition on Friday morning, and so his wife and his cousin, Grover Mickelwait, were on their way to Des Moines when death came to him.

The body was removed to the James Funeral home and funeral services consisted only of graveside rites at the Glenwood Cemetery on Monday afternoon which were attended by a large assemblage of friends. It was very fitting that he , who had served his country in one war and who was in military training at the time of his death, should be buried with full military honors on the day of official observance of Independence Day. The Glenwood Headquarters Company of Iowa State Guard, saddened by the loss of their comrade, led the procession in march to the cemetery. They, with the members of the Harvey T. Rimel Post of the American Legion, of which Mr. Mickelwait was a member, formed an escort at the grave. A profusion of flowers, many of them in patriotic colors, surrounded the flag-draped casket. Chairs placed under a tent had been arranged for the comfort of the audience by Mr. James and converted the beautiful slope on this summer afternoon into an outdoor chapel. Dr. F. W. Long read consoling portions of scripture and offered prayer, after which he spoke briefly of the life of the deceased. B. N. Maxwell, chaplain, then conducted the American Legion burial ritual in a most impressive manner. The flag from the casket, a gift from the U. S. Government, was presented to Mrs. Mickelwait. A volley salute and the sounding of taps, first by Morris Moore, then in echo by his son, Merrill Moore, from a distant hillside, concluded the service, the memory of which will ever remain clear to those who were present.

Joy C. Mickelwait was the only and the adored son of the late J. Willoughby Mickelwait, of whose family there is now but one left, his sister, Mrs. Jennie Hamilton, now a resident of Glendale, Calif. Joy was born in Brainerd, Nebr., on Oct. 24, 1888, but has lived in Glenwood most of his life. Of recent years he has been swine herdsman at Glenwood State School. In his immediate family he is survived by his widow, Anna, to whom he was married Nov. 10, 1909, by their one daughter, Joyanna, now Mrs. Hilliard Darting of Omaha, and by two grandchildren, Susan and Allan Darting.
Joy possessed a very pleasing personality and was affable and genial toward all the people whom he contacted. As a result, he had very many friends who mourn his passing.

Relatives who came from points outside of Glenwood for the funeral were his daughter and husband, Mr. and Mrs. Hilliard Darting of Omaha, his aunt, Mrs. Jesse Dowell of Long Prairie, Minn., also Mrs. Mary Anderson and Mrs. Fred Serr of Sterling, Colo. and Mr. and Mrs. James Anderson and daughter, Harriet, of Des Moines, all of whom are members of Mrs. Mickelwait’s family. As a representative of the Staff Officers of the Iowa State Guard, Major Dell Blackburn of Shenandoah, was also in attendance.

Casket bearers were Dr. L. A. Hollingshead, H. J. Widows, R. J. Allen, L. C. Dean, Frank Maxwell and W. C. Rathke. Those in charge of the flowers were Mrs. Van F. Barnes, Mrs. Edward Hopp, Mrs. Fay McManigal, Mrs. Paul Cheyney, Mrs. Sam Estes, Mrs. Carl Cook, Mrs. Henry Dean, Miss Nell Bogart and Miss Elizabeth Cook.