French, Lou (Mrs. Bayard) 1862-1928

FRENCH, WALTERS, BISEL

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 20:33:33

Hawarden Independent of July 5, 1928

MRS. B. T. FRENCH PASSED AWAY
Had Resided in Hawarden tot More
Than Forty-four Years. Leaves Husband and Three Sons
Mrs. B. T. French, aged 65, for more than forty-four years a resident of Hawarden, passed away at her home in this city at 9 o'clock this morning following a lingering illness from a complication of diseases. For the past sixteen months she had been a constant sufferer and was bedfast most of the time during the last four months of her illness. She had been failing rapidly for several weeks and the end was not unexpected. Funeral services will be held at the home at 1:30 Saturday afternoon, in charge of Rev, Chas. E. Tower, pastor of the Associated churches. Burial will be in Grace Hill cemetery.

Lou Lincoln Walters, daughter of George Washington Walters and Catherine Bisel Walters, was born in Morrow county, Ohio, Nov. 3, 1862, and died at Hawarden, Iowa, July 5, 1928, at the age of 65 years, 8 months and 2 days. She grew to young womanhood in Ohio and was united in marriage with Bayard Taylor French on Jan. 30, 1884, at Johnsville, Ohio, and they came directly to Hawarden and her home has ever since been in this city.

She was the mother of four children, one of whom, Helen Beatrice, passed away in infancy. She leaves her husband, B. T. French; three sons, Leslie R. French of Des Moines, Clarence W. French and Sherman Q. French of Hawarden; seven grandchildren; one brother Alfred Walters and three sisters Mrs. Howard Condon, Mrs. Lae T. Lewis and Mrs. Jay Snyder.

The life of Mrs. French has been synonamous with the life and growth of Hawarden. Coming here as a bride a little more than an year after the town was established, she has been an integral part of the community life during all the intervening years. She was loved and respected by countless hundreds of people. Always a home lover, her chief interest centered in her family, although she found many opportunities to render service to the community in public and semi-public activities, church work and charitable enterprises. She was a charter member of the First Congregational church of Hawarden and the welfare of the church organization ever was a matter of deep concern to her. For many years she served as a member of the cemetery board in which work she took an unusually active interest and the beauties of the local cemetery are due in large part to her careful planning. She was long a member of the Eastern Star lodge and had been frequently honored by this organization.

But her home and the comfort of the members of her family ever held first claim in her scheme of life. No wife could ever have been more devoted and no mother ever more kind and thoughtful and as friend and neighbor her unselfish spirit knew no bounds The grief of the community at large is deep and sincere at the passing o this kindly lovable, Christian character.