Willard J. Thurber 1858-1934

THURBER

Posted By: Kathy Weaver (email)
Date: 2/4/2020 at 23:13:30

Villisca Review
Villisca, Iowa
Friday, 24 Aug 1934

Willard Thurber Dies At His Home Southeast Of Here

Willard J. Thurber, 75, died at 5 a.m. Wednesday at his home on the Ned Berry farm nine miles southeast of Villisca, his death resulting from a stroke of paralysis which he suffered at 3 a.m. Wednesday. His body was brought Wednesday morning to the Wolfe & Gourley funeral parlors here to await funeral arrangements which had not been completed Thursday morning.

Mr. Thurber was born Sept. 30, 1858, at Grand Rapids, Mich. He came to Iowa with his parents when he was 9 years old, locating in Taylor county where he grew to manhood. He had lived more than fifty years of his life in this section of the state.

He was married Oct. 11, 1889, to Amanda Lyens (sic). To this union ten children were born, six sons and four daughters, of whom one son died in infancy and another son, LeRoy, died in 1920 at the age of 20 years.

The surviving children are: Jesse W. Thurber, Baldknob, Ark.; Mrs. Edna Wooten, Mrs. A.E. Newberg and Mrs. Harold Larson, Villisca; Luther Thurber, Royal, Neb.; Mrs. James Pierce, Clarinda; Jas. Thurber, Gravity; and Eugene Thurber, who made his home with his father until a month ago when he joined the CCC camp at Lenox.

Mr. Thurber had resided for the last fifteen years in the vicinity nine miles southeast of here. His daughter, Mrs. Edna Wooten, had been staying with him at his home there for the last month and was with him Wednesday morning when he suffered the fatal stroke.

He was preceded in death by one sister, Mrs. Marlan Forbes of Detroit, Minn., and by one brother, George Thurber of St. Louis, Mo., and he was the last member of his family. Besides his children, he is survived by eighteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.