Wathier, Elizabeth, 1884-1937

WATHIER, REISER

Posted By: Lydia Lucas - Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 20:33:33

From the Alton Democrat, December 3, 1937:

Sister Passes On At Twin Falls, Ida.

Miss Elizabeth Wathier, oldest child of the late Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian Wathier, well known farm residents here for many years, died at her home near Twin Falls, Idaho, Wednesday afternoon, according to a telegram received at Alton Wednesday night.

Oldest of a family of 14 children, she is survived by 10 brothers and sisters, as follows: Mathias, Henry and George, all of Alton; Joe of Centerville, S.D.; Charles of Kimberley, Idaho, with whom she made her home; Mrs. Lena Kohles of Twin Falls, Idaho; Mrs. A. L. Streff, Mrs. George Bowers and Mrs. Michael Herrig of Alton; and Lou, also at present at Kimberley with his brother Charles. Funeral arrangements were pending at this writing.

Miss Elizabeth was born and raised in the Alton vicinity and is known to hundreds of people here. She visited here for several months at the time of her father’s death on October 16, 1935. Miss Wathier had been ailing for some weeks but relatives here were not aware that she was seriously ill and news of her death is a great shock to the members of the family in this section.

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From the Alton Democrat, December 10, 1937:

OBITUARY

Funeral services for the late Miss Elizabeth Wathier, who died at her home near Kimberly, Idaho, on Dec. 1, were held at Twin Falls Saturday morning. Mrs. A. L. Streff and Mrs. G. E. Bowers of Alton, sisters of Miss Wathier, left Thursday to attend the funeral, going by plane from Omaha to Salt Lake City where they were met by their brother, L. C. Wathier, and niece, Miss Irene Kohles.

The Idaho Evening Times had the following about Miss Wathier who was the second oldest child of the late Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian Wathier who settled near Alton in 1882:

Miss Elizabeth Wathier died at her home three miles south of Kimberly at 3 p.m. Wednesday, following an illness of approximately two years.

She was born at Alton, Iowa, November 19, 1864. She has been a resident of this district for the past 21 years. Miss Wathier has been a life-time member of the Catholic church.

Surviving her are six brothers and four sisters. The brothers are Charles and Leo Wathier of Kimberly; Matt, Henry and George Wathier of Alton, Iowa, and Joseph Wathier of Centerville, South Dakota. The sisters are Mrs. L. W. Kohles, Twin Falls; Mrs. Anna Streff, Mrs. George E. Bowers and Mrs. M. J. Herrig, all of Alton, Iowa.

The body rests at the Twin Falls mortuary pending word from the Iowa relatives.—Idaho Evening Times.

(Ed. note: Miss Wathier visited here last year and appeared to enjoy recalling old times with many friends here. She and her brother owned a nice irrigated ranch near Kimberly where she kept house for her brother, Charles, and they were always highly successful in their farm and ranch operations. In earlier years she kept house for her brothers, Jack and Joe, on the farm her father purchased south of Alton, for some time, later going to Idaho with Charles.)

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Her death certificate adds her mother’s name, Susan Reiser (informant Mrs. Lena Kohles); occupation, invalid; died about 2 p.m. December 1, 1937; cause, mechanical suffocation (suicide) by hanging, at her home. No mention is made of any underlying illness.