Moyle, W.T. 1867-1922

MOYLE, RAPSON, SWISHER, JONES

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 4/20/2010 at 13:30:26

The Grinnell Herald (Grinnell, Iowa) July 11, 1922

W.T. MOYLE PASSES

Leading Business Man and Progressive and Influential Citizen Goes to Reward.

HAD BEEN IN BUSINESS HERE FOR THIRTY YEARS

Had Been Active in Church, Business, Social, College and Civic Life.

Grinnell has enjoyed the privilege of having in its citizenship many strong, useful, and progessive characters, but few will be remembered longer, or with a deeper love, than W.T. Moyle. Mr. Moyle was as near an ideal citizen as a human life can be. Cheerful, kind, forgiving and forgetting, in his character, progressive, true and earnest, he combined in a remarkable degree the qualities which make life worth living and a man worth loving.

Mr. Moyle was born at Linden, Wis., Sept. 10, 1867, the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Moyle. When a year old his parents moved to a farm west of Chapin where they lived until they moved to Grinnell twenty-one years ago. Here Will Moyle attended the rural schools, and the Hampton high school until he entered the academy of Iowa College. After a year or so here he taught school a year, returning to Grinnell and finishing his college course with the class of 1892. In college he was well liked and showed the executive business ability which marked him later as one of Grinnell's successful business men. He served with honor on the annual board and as business manager for the "Newsletter."

In 1892 W.J. Rapson came to Grinnell to be present at the commencement exercises when Will graduated, and liked the town. A partnership was formed under the name of Rapson & Moyle and the grocery business still owned by Mr. Moyle was purchased, and here, until about ten years ago, they conducted a business, which proved successful because owned and managed by men who understood the public, and who used every effort to satisfy their needs.

June 24, 1896, Mr. Moyle was united in marriage to Miss Lida Swisher and soon after moved into the new home which they have since occupied. To them five children were born, four of whom still live. This home was one of love, culture and high aspiration, and all did their part to make it all a home should be.

After Mr. Rapson's health caused him to sell in order to move to California, Mr. Moyle purchased his interest and pursued the same broad policy, making new friends and increasing an already prosperous business.

About four years ago Mr. Moyle's health began to fail, and an operation and treatment at Rochester failed to fully check the trouble. Later relief was secured and for a few months Mr. Moyle was again at his place of business, cheerful, in apparent good health, and gladly welcomed everywhere by his friends and business associates.

The relief, tho grateful, proved only temporary and a few months ago the growing pallor of his face showed signs of weakening. He gradually grew worse until he was compelled to take to his bed nine weeks ago, and Friday night, July 7, the end came.

Few men of Grinnell have had more real friends, and none have participated to more useful activities. In lodge work he was a Mason, a Knight of Pythias, in which he held all the chiars, and an Elk.

He served twelve years on the school board with eminent honor and was many years its president. He was many years a member of the board of directors of the Commercial Club and was also its president. He has been on the board of directors of the Grinnell Building & Loan Association, the Grinnell Canning Company, the Grinnell Savings Bank and other local institutions.

He was for years a member of the board of trustees of the Congregational Church, was a deacon and an active officer in the Sunday school. In college circles he was a member of the board of trustees of the Grinnell College Foundation and a member of the Graduate Council.

He was also a member of the Fortnightly Club.

Few Grinnell men have been more honored than he with positions of trust and service, and none have filled those positions with greater credit or success. He gave much to the community. In return he received the devoted friendship of a constantly growing circle of those who admired him for his integrity, his business success, his manly uprightness and his abiding words of cheer and helpfulness. He has been much missed for months in business circles and his death will be a marked loss to the city. Careful, honorable, useful, true to every manly instinct, uplifting and inspiring, Mr. Moyle will long live in the hearts of Grinnell people for what he was and for what he gave to the community.

Surviving him are his wife, three daughters and one son, his aged father and mother, and his sister, Mrs. Margaretta Jones, of Mooreland, Okla.

The funeral was held Monday evening at 5:30 o'clock at the home on North Broad street, conducted by Rev. E.W. Cross, who spoke generous words of the manly character and usefulness of his deceased friend and helper in church work. He spoke of how Mr. Moyle in his daily life had appeared to him. The talk was a beautiful tribute by a friend to a departed friend and came from the heart.

Words were also spoken by A.C. Lyon, as a neighbor and business associate, giving glad and eloquent testimony to the worth and character of Mr. Moyle.

A male quartet rendered appropriate music--F.W. Cowles, Fred Morrison, Dr. Parish and D.E. Peck. Songs were "O Love That Will Not Wait," and "Now the Day Is Over."

Bearers were G.H. McMurray, Professor Perring, F.P. Marvin, E. Henely, Geo. R. Kelley, and W.C. Rayburn.