Cora Belle (KELLER) CONLEY BYERLY

KELLER, CONLEY, BYERLY, PLACE, SMITH, WATTS, PEPPMEIER, PRUITT

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 8/1/2010 at 01:55:32

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
January, 1982

OBITUARY - CORA BELLE (KELLER) CONLEY BYERLY

Cora Belle, daughter of William H. and Sarah Irene PLACE KELLER, was born August 7, 1898, near Shannon City, in Ringgold County, Iowa. She spent nearly all of her life in Ringgold county and passed away Saturday, January 9, 1982 at Ringgold County Hospital, Mount Ayr, Iowa, at the age of 83 years and five months.

She attended Jefferson Center, a rural school in Jefferson township, and on February 9, 1920 was united in marriage to Thomas Hartful CONLEY. Six children blessed this home, Vesta, Gilbert Gail, Retha, Donald E., Marjorie and Ronald, who was born two months after the death of the husband and father October 12, 1934.

She was married to Claude Gail BYERLY, October 17, 1936 at Mount Ayr, Iowa. His death occurred January 5, 1954.

She was also preceded in death by her parents, (her father died in his fifties leaving the mother with nine young children), by a three-month-old son, Gilbert Gail, and infant twin grandson, Lee and Dee SMITH.

In the KELLER family she was preceded in death by four brothers and two sisters, and is survived by two sisters and three brothers, Grace WATTS, Diagonal; Ruth PEPPMEIER, Clearview, Mount Ayr; Herbert, Rosecommon, Michigan; Elmer and Rex, Diagonal; many nieces and nephews.

In the immediate family she is survived by her children: Vesta (Mrs. Cecil SMITH), Diagonal; Retha, of the family home; Donald E., Kansas City, Missouri; Marjorie (Mrs. Junior PRUITT), Riverside, California; and Ronald of Maloy, Iowa.

Her family also includes two daughter-in-law, Pauline (Mrs. Donald CONLEY), Betty (Mrs. Ronald CONLEY); two sons-in-law, Cecil SMITH and Junior PRUITT, 21 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, and a great-great-granddaughter.

She was a member of the Knowlton Methodist Church, not transferring to another church after that structure burned. She was in the habit of listening to religious services over radio when that became available.

She cared deeply for all the members of her family, enjoyed a lifelong love of gardening, raised many flowers, coupled with a lively interest in nature. For many years she was a faithful correspondent of the Knowlton news for the Diagonal Reporter.

She had many friends bother present and former community residents, with whom she maintained contact, resulting in a rich store of memories and anecdotes, concerning the Knowlton and Diagonal communites.

She moved from Knowlton to Diagonal in the fall of 1967 with her daughter, Retha, who has beenher kind, constant, and caring companion through the years.

Funeral services were held Tuesday, January 12, 1982 at the United Church of Diagonal, Wet Building, Rev.Mark KOENING officiated, with music by Mrs. Jack TAYLOR and Mrs. Richard TAYLOR, accompanied by Mrs. Harold TAYLOR. Casketbearers were Jim and Jack TAYLOR, Jay SNYDER, A. M. KESSLER, Robert GRACE and Mark WATSON. She was laid to rest at the Knowlton [Centenary] Cemetery.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, July of 2010