Alice Jeanette (Ballard) Sowers (1852-1918)

BALLARD, SOWERS, KIMBLE

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 4/25/2016 at 19:56:05

From Nevada Representative January 7, 1918 (front page)

MRS. J. W. SOWERS DIED SATURDAY

AFTER WEEKS SEVERE ILLNESS
OLD RESIDENT DEPARTS
LARGE FAMILY MOURNS HER DEMISE

Miss Alice Ballard was born in Will County, Illinois, a few miles from Joliet, Oct. 17, 1852, and was the eldest child of Russell W. and Lois E. Ballard. As a child between four and five years of age, she came with her parents and grandparents, Dr. and Mrs. M. R. Ballard, to Story County, Iowa in 1857. the Ballard home was established in Howard township where and in that part of the county, Miss Alice passed her youthful and young womanhood days. She possessed an active mind, appropriated such educational facilities as the times and locality furnished and in her seventeenth year taught a term or two of school. The day following her eighteenth anniversary, on Oct. 18, 1870, she was married to Jas. W. Sowers. Soon after their marriage their home was established on the well known J. W. Sowers farm in Milford township where they maintained an unbroken residence of nearly forty years, and until their removal to Nevada seven years ago. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Sowers number twelve - five sons and seven daughters. They have all attained manhood and womanhood years, have all founded homes of their own except four , are all living but one - Mrs. George Kimble whose death occurred some fifteen years ago, and all have acquired resident citizenship or are engaged in patriotic service or some useful circulating occupation. This is a record few parents can match and in this case as in all similar ones large credit for the gratifying result must be accorded the mother's influence.

Mrs. Sowers' health has been impaired for several years, but the severe illness that occasioned her death was only of a week's duration, beginning Saturday Dec. 29, 1917 and ending in the early morning of Saturday, Jan. 5, 1918, when, in the presence of her entire sorrowing household she passed serenely into the mysterious Beyond.

Mrs. Sowers was counted by those who knew her well as a most admirable woman. She inherited the character traits of a vigorous pioneer ancestry. Her parents and grandparents were people who had ideas and did things. She, likewise, possessed wholesome ideals and so far as her time and strength permitted tried to materialize them in her own life and family and the community. She was a good mother, a good neighbor and a willing helper as far as possible, in any organized movement for the betterment of social conditions about her. She was especially interest in Red Cross work and the last work she did and the last day she was about, previous to her fatal illness was passed at the library in Red Cross activities. She had no formal connections with religious organizations, but sympathized with and encouraged their work. Her religious attitude was informal rather than formal and took the form of kindly words and helpful deeds. In a word, her christianity was strongly of the practical, every day kind, and inspired by the kindly spirit of the Master's Sermon on the Mount. She was greatly beloved by a large circle of relatives and friends.

Her funeral services were conducted this afternoon at the Sowers home by Rev. Mr. Shipman of the M. E. church, and assisted by Rev. Mr. Leitch of the Presbyterian. The interment was in the Nevada cemetery.