Malvina Colusa (Sturdivant) Blackmer 1856-1897

STURDIVANT, BLACKMER

Posted By: Volunteer - Karen DaPra
Date: 10/1/2001 at 23:33:01

OBITUARY

Malvina Colusa Sturdivant daughter of Dr. R. J. and M. A. Sturdivant, was born in Harrisburg township, April 14, 1856 and died August 5th, 1897, at the age of 41 years, 4 months and 2 days.

She was born of God and united with the Baptist church in the winter of 1886. She was married to Dr. Benjamin P. Blackmer Nov. 3, 1881. She leaves, to mourn her loss, a husband and aged mother, three children, Capitola C., Nola P. and Benna P., two brothers, four sisters and a host of sympathizing friends.

The funeral was preached in the Baptist church, in Bonaparte, Iowa, by Elder W. C. Shepherd, from the text found in Job. 14:14, "If a man die [sic] shall he live again." The object of the speaker was to console the bereaved family by proving that nature, science and the bible are three infallible witnesses of the fact that we shall live beyond the grave. He said in part: "It is natural for man to die, but it is not natural for man to live. We struggle for life, not for death. Our mortal nature seeks the downward course, while our spiritual or living nature, like the stream of water, seeks its fountain head; and at death, the earth having an affinity for our natural bodies, draws them to the dust; but the Christ, who is our life, having affinity for our spiritual or supernatural natures, draws our life upwards, and the result is: Our body returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to the God who gave it." He said that in order to live an eternity of happiness we must accept of the Christ life while we live here; that to reject Jesus Christ as our life is to choose a sphere in which to spend an eternity where there is no God."

In his closing remarks, referring to the deceased, the speaker paused for a moment and then tenderly said: "This loving wife, this dear daughter, and this affectionate mother departed this life [rest is cut-off].

(Photocopy of this obit is located on page 31 of Obit Book A found in the Van Buren County Iowa Genealogical Society's collection at the Keosauqua Public Library in November 1999. Name and date of newspaper not given.) ORIIGNAL POST 15 Nov 1999.

I am not related to this person and am posting this obit for those who may find him/her in their family history.