Alice (Hays) Coyle (1868-1890)

COYLE, HAYS, MCGAHON

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 1/22/2016 at 19:30:26

From Nevada Representative May 7, 1890

For several days the sympathy of our community has centered in the home Rev. Campbell Coyle, where the life of his estimable wife has hovered between two world. No possible effort has been spared to keep the valued young life for its work of earthly usefulness and blessing so well begun. But in vain. It passed to the realms beyond as half passed one this afternoon, and sorrow rules the hour. The funeral services are appointed for Friday afternoon.

From Nevada Representative May 14, 1890

--Rev. L. Y. Hays and family, called to Nevada by the illness and death of their daughter, Mrs. Coyle, returned to their home at Fort Dodge, Monday.

In the same issue of this paper:

Death of Mrs. Coyle.

From her earthly home, Wednesday afternoon, May 7th, 1890, after a brief illness, passed to her eternal home, Alice H., beloved wife of Rev. Campbell Coyle, pastor of the Nevada Presbyterian church.

Mrs. Coyle was the daughter of Rev. Mr. and Mrs. L. Y. Hays of Fort Dodge, Iowa, and was born September 24th, 1868, at Malden, Illinois. She was a graduate of the High School at Crawfordsville, Indiana, and subsequently a studen tat the Western Female Seminary at Oxford, Ohio and Wooster University, at Wooster, the same State. To these substantial and generous scholastic attainments were added the rich graces of Christian character and native refinement.

September 10th, 1889, she was married to Rev. Campbell Coyle, came at once to Nevada ans assumed the duties of a pastor's wife. Her life here was but a span, yet in these few short months,m by her attractive personal presence, kindly manners, generous judgments, ready helpfulness, Christian culture, and evident desire to advance the best interests of her husband's church and the community in general, she won an abiding place in all hearts. And her death, closing the earthly life of one so young, so well fitted to bless the home, the church and the world, brought not only a great sorrow to friends near and dear, but tearful regret to all who had come within the circle of her acquaintance. The affection of church and community for the dead and sympathy for the bereaved, were touchingly manifested by the floral adornments of the church in which the funeral services were held Friday afternoon.

These adornments were, besides choice growing plants, emblematic floral offerings, consisting of a pillow with the name "Alice" in immortelles; an anchor and a bouquet of lillies from friends in Fort Dodge; a pillow of white blossoms with the name "Alice" from the Nevada Methodist church; a harp from ladies of the Presbyterian church; "Gates Ajar" from the young ladies class in Sunday school and others; a lyre from Mrs. Coyle's Sunday school class; a star from the young men's class; a crescent from a friend in Ames; a floral cross and sickle; a bouquet of calla lillies; a cross and anchor; wreaths and other floral emblems from friends, singly and in groups.

Into the presence of these beautiful tributes of affection and sympathy was gently borne, by six of our worthy young men, the snow white casket containing all that was mortal of the dear departed. The services were conducted by an old friend of the family, the Rev. Geo. P. Folsom D.D. of Carroll, Iowa, and were listened to by a crowded houseful of tearful friends and acquaintances. After the singing of the introductory hymn--

"Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep,
From which none ever wake to weep."

and the reading of appropriate scripture selections, a tender comforting prayer was offered by Rev. Mr. Danner. The singing of the hymn--

"Lead kindly Light! amid the encircling gloom,
Lead thou me on"

read by Rev. Mr. Schnur, followed, Dr. Folsom on rising to continue the services said with evident sincerity that it would be more in consonance with his feelings to sit with the mourners in tearful sympathy than to attempt the difficult task of speaking words of comfort to them.

His address was based on the following strong, assuring, uplifting words: "The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms." In clear comprehensive statement and beautiful illustration, the sympathetic speaker declared these everlasting arms to be arms of almighty power, of tenderness, of sympathy and love, and of promise, and pointed out their wonderful adaptation to sustain, comfort, bless and cheer in days of darkness and great bereavement. With special fervor he dwelt on the all sufficiency of these everlasting arms as manifested in the love of Christ to bear up and tenderly keep in life and death our dearest treasures; and in words full of immortal trust said, "Dear Alice sleeps in those arms now. Underneath her are the everlasting arms. They will not grow weary in holding her. They will not cease their mission of love. They are everlasting. It is ours to commit her to that gracious keeping I know it seems a great deal to commit to other arms such grace of mind and character; such clinging, hopeful, trusting faith; such bright, winning ways; such power for good; such wealth of confiding love; such earnest devotion for Christ; such talents consecrated to his service; such power to organize and lead in Christian work. Oh, our way would have been to have kept them all here, to have has them still in the home, and the church and the world,--for how much such are needed. But God says, commit them to me. I have a home for them elsewhere. I have work for them in other spheres of activity. And there the mind shall grow and the heart expand and the powers develop according to my plan. Father we commit them to thee. Our will is thy will. We know that when thy purposes are completed in the eternal future, it will be seen that the very best has been wrought out for us and for her. For those are everlasting arms that we commit them to; not for a day nor a year, but the endless cycles of eternity. And in those precious arms she is sleeping now. She had committed herself to them. Let us trustingly give her up.

Smooth the braids of her silken hair.
tho her queenly brow with tender care
Gather the robe in a final fold
Around the form that will not grow old;
Lay on her bosom, pure as snow,
The fairest, sweetest flowers that blow
Kiss her, and leave her, your heart's delight;
In dreamless peace she will sleep to-night.

Put her work and her empty chair;
Fold up the garments she used to wear;
Let down the curtains and close the door,
She will need the garish light no more;
For the task assigned her under the sun
Is finished now, and the guerdon won;
Tenderly kiss her, put out the light,
And leave her alone--she will sleep to-night.

O blessed sleep, that will not break
For tears nor prayers not love's sweet sake;
O perfect rest, that knows no pain,
No throb, no thrill of heart or pain,
O life sublime beyond all speech,
That only the pure through dying reach;
God understands, and his ways are right;
Bid his beloved a long good-night.

SUBMITTER'S NOTE: Alice (Hays) Coyle was the daughter of Rev. Loyal Young Hays and Mary Jane "Jennie" McGahon.