ECKELS, Jennie (Gardner) 1860-1899

GARDNER, ECKELS

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 4/10/2010 at 12:21:36

Jennie Gardner Eckels, 1860-1899

DEATH OF MRS. JENNIE ECKELS

Mrs. Jennie Gardner Eckels was born in the village of Wentworth, Mitchell county, Iowa, August 9th, 1860 and died in Osage, Iowa, Feb. 9, 1899. In 1872 her parents, George H. and Abagail L. Gardner removed to Nora Springs, where she entered school and made rapid progress in her studies. Here her father died on the 8th day of June A.D. 1879.

She was a student of the Cedar Valley Seminary for two years and then taught school for two years. Later she was a student of the Iowa State University and still later a student of a college in Atchinson, Kansas, where she graduated in short hand. She filled several important places in Kansas as reporter.

On the 12th of January 1891, she was married to John N. Eckels of Seattle, Wash. In 1893, she returned to Iowa and once more resumed her work as teacher. She taught in McIntire and other places til March 1896. Since that time she has been a stenographer in the office of Gardner & Son of Osage. She was faithful, conscientious and painstaking and worked up to the full measure of her strength. In fact, for years her health was not rugged, but her wonderful willpower held her to her work and no one realized that disease had so firm a hold on her. She was exceedingly patient and suffered without uttering a word of complaint. She continued her work when she had not enough strength to do so.

The first of December she dropped her work and began regular medical treatment. She and all her friends thought that she would soon recuperate and once more resume her work. This however, was not to be. The disease made rapid progress and sapped her strength. She bore everything patiently and uncomplainingly.

For years she had been a member of the Congregational church and she had exemplified in her daily life the religion of Jesus Christ. She was quiet and unostentatious, but good, noble and true. I believe the Master whom she served pays her the tribute that he did to another. "She has done what she could." Of her immediate family her mother, a brother and a little daughter Ravenna Pearl, survive her.

The funeral service was held on Saturday afternoon under the direction of Rev. W. W. Gist. He took as his text, "She hath done what she could," and he paid a warm tribute to her nobility of character and real worth as a woman.

[Source: Mitchell County Press-News or Mason City Globe Gazette]

2002 by Marilyn O'Connor