Dempster, Lula May 1890-1918

DEMPSTER, NEWELL

Posted By: Viv Reeves (email)
Date: 4/5/2004 at 22:35:24

LeMars Sentinel newspaper
Dated December 31, 1918

Grief came to the family of John Dempster and family of LeMars, and
Henry N. Newell and family of Stanton, on Friday morning, when the sad
message was received that Lula May Newell Dempster had died at her home
near Brunswick, Nebraska, at an early hour on Friday morning December
27th, aged 28 years, 5 months, and 12 days.

Lula was born in Geneseo township, Tama county, on July 15, 1890,
and lived in that locality until October 14, 1902, at which date her
mother was married to H. N. Newell, of Stanton. She grew to young
womanhood in the Newell home, attending rural school to the eighth
grade, later taking three term(s) in the Normal department of Western
Union college.

On December 7, 1910, she was married at home to William H.
Dempster, a son of Mr. and Mrs. John Dempster, a pioneer family of that
locality. They took up housekeeping on a farm adjoining the Newell
home, where they farmed two years, then moved to Brunswick, Nebraska,
where they have farmed for the past six years.

She was a woman of unusual energy, thrift and diligence, and was
ever faithful in furnishing the comforts of home life to her husband and
young children. Her energy caused her to take part in the sterner
duties incidental to farm life outside of the home, in her strong desire
to succeed in a business way. They purchased a farm in September of
this year and she meditated much on plans to better the surroundings of
her prospective home.

About ten days ago her husband contracted the influenza and a few
days later the children, and she cared for them faithfully until it was
evident that she too was ill and she sent word to her mother to come to
their relief. Mrs. Newell was physically unable to go, but Mrs. John
Dempster, her mother-in-law, went to their assistance and is there at
the present time. The deceased showed every sign of recovery up to a
couple of hours before the end came, evidently failing from a weakened
heart.

The body arrived here Sunday afternoon and was taken to the
Engleken undertaking parlors, from where the funeral services took place
at half past ten o'clock Monday morning, Rev. J. K. Hawkins of the First
Methodist Episcopal church officiating. She was interred beside her
step sister, Mrs. Ezra Newell Davey, who was buried last February.

The bereaved husband was unable to be present because of his own
recent illness.

She leaves to mourn her departure, the young husband, William H.
Dempster and three children, ranging in age from fifteen months to seven
years, her mother and father, her sister, Mrs. Walter E. Keller and
family, of Cherokee; a step brother, Melvin C. Newell, now in a
convalescent camp in southern England, and a host of other relatives on
her husband's side of the family, besides a large circle of friends.

The pall bearers were from friends of earlier years, William
Hodgson, Patrick Bourke, John Murphy, Clyde Brown, Lee Steele, and Henry
Remer.