Hughes, George T. 1866-1962

HUGHES, EASON

Posted By: Plymouth County Coordinator (email)
Date: 12/6/2003 at 09:33:00

The Haxtun Harvest, Haxtun, Colorado, September 5, 1962

LAST RITES HELD FOR GEO. T. HUGHES

Funeral services for George T. Hughes, age 96, were held Saturday afternoon at 2:00 from The First Methodist Church with Rev. Willis C. Phelps officiating.

Mr. Hughes passed away at the local hospital after a few days illness. He was a retired farmer and had lived in Haxtun for many years.

Music was furnished by Miss Barbara Radford, organist, and Lawrence Bjorklun, soloist, who sang "Beyond the Sunset: and "Under His Wings." Honorary escorts were Mandel Wedin, Albert Carpenter, Stanley Dee and R.L. Scott. Acting escorts were Vernon Dix, John Spanjer, Walter Bauer, Arthur Hulse, Emil Bentson and Lloyd Skold. Ward Dee was usher. Concluding services and burial were at the Haxtun cemetery.

The following obituary was read:
We have come from our various walks of life today to pay our respects to the memory of the man who was the oldest male resident of Haxtun. Here we would share our faith and hope with the bereaved, and honor the memory of George Thomas Hughes, who passed away in the local hospital on Wednesday afternoon, having reached the ripe old age of 96 years, five months and eight days.

George T. Hughes was born at Galena, Illinois, on March 21, 1866, the son of Hugh R. and Ellen Hughes. George was one of 10 children. He grew up in the community where he had been born, then in 1882 he moved to Westfield, Iowa.

George moved by railroad train and, as far as relatives were concerned, he was alone on the train on his 16th birthday. Among his possessions on the train was a cow, which he milked and drank the milk as his birthday celebration.

On October 7, 1890, Mr. Hughes was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Eason at LeMars, Iowa. The young couple lived in Plymouth County, Iowa for a few years then moved to Seney, Iowa where he was blacksmith for several years.

Mr. and Mrs. Hughes had no children of their own, but were parents in love and deed to some of the children of his brother and wife, who lost their lives in a typhoid fever epidemic. In the year 1898, the Hughes took three small children into their home where they gave them loving care and a home. They were Ralph and Leon Hughes and Vera Alice Hughes, who is now Mrs. William Jeffers of Haxtun.

The Hughes moved to the Rockland community in Colorado in 1920, where Mr. Hughes farmed and did some smithy work. Mrs. Hughes passed away in 1941, and Mr. Hughes moved soon after to Haxtun where he had made his home for the rest of his days, with the exception of two periods of some months when he lived in the Ada Carpenter hotel in Holyoke. He had lived there since February of this year, where he had received excellent care.

"Dad" or "Grandad" Hughes, as he was affectionately known to his many friends, was a great reader of the Bible, and knew many passages by heart. Mrs. Vera Jeffers once asked him what his beliefs were, and he answered by quoting the two great commandments emphasized by Jesus, tis, That one should love God with all his being and love his fellowman as himself. He said that if a person loved persons he could get along with all of them.

Surviving Mr. Hughes in this community is his daughter and son-in-law, Mrs. Vera Jeffers, and husband, William; two grandchildren, Clinton and Clyde Jeffers, and six great grandchildren, Kenneth, Darwin and Brent Jeffers and Marc, Neil and Lisa Jeffers. Other survivors include nieces who are sisters of Mrs. Vera Jeffers, Mrs. Ellen Hauck of Kingsley, Iowa, and Mrs. Rebecca Mohr of Glendora, California and many other nephews and nieces.

Mr. Hughes probably witnessed more changes in the life of mankind during his lifetime than had the member of any other one generation. He came of hardy stock and used to tell of some of the family adventures. His mother took care of two small children in a log cabin in the wilds of Illinois, while his father was away fighting in the Civil War. He, himself, used to drive 24 head of oxen to dredge out drainage ditches. Each ox had a name, and in his later years Mr. Hughes still remembered their names. His mind remained keen until his last illness and he possessed a wonderful sense of humor, which was not only a help to him, but a delight to others. And we repeat his philosophy of life: It was to seek to love everyone. Of such men is the fabric of human society woven into enduring patterns!

And we honor his memory by our presence here.