CECIL, Mrs. Elmedia May

CECIL, CARTER

Posted By: Volunteer: Sherri
Date: 2/22/2017 at 01:36:14

(STOCK)PORT, VAN BUREN COUNTY, IOWA, FRIDAY, JULY 191?

MRS. AMOS CECIL DIES
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A Life Time Resident Passed to Her Reward Suddenly at Midnight on Tuesday.
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WAS SICK LESS THAN AN HOUR
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Acute Dialation of the Stomach Given as Cause - Was Buried at Miller's Chapel on Thursday Afternoon at 2:00

Early last Wednesday morning the shocking news was spread over the entire community of the sudden death of Mrs. Elmedia May Carter Cecil, beloved wife of Amos Cecil, a prosperous farmer living west of town on the Longview road.

Mrs. Cecil had been a sufferer for a number of years with stomach trouble but it was never considered of a serious or grave nature by herself or her family. Several days before her death she had occasion to consult her physician as to her ailment, as she had on numerous times before, but from the time until she called for the doctor few minutes before her death she had been in seemingly good health and had made no complaints whatever. In fact in the forenoon of the day of her demise, so The News was informed by Mr. Cecil, she had done the big family washing, Mr. Cecil helping her as was their custom.

Mrs. Cecil performed all her other household duties, getting supper for her family, doing her evening work visited and chatted with her family until their usual bedtime when they retired, with not the least intimation of any kind that the Death Angel was so near.

At about eleven o'clock, or a few moments after, she awoke in great pain, and wakening her husband requested that he send for the doctor post haste, saying that she was positive that she was going to die.

Her physician answered the summons immediately and was at her side in a few moments, but before he was able to render her any assistance she went into convulsions, and in less that thirty minutes after he was called, with "O, Amos, I'm dying," Mrs. Cecil was a corpse.

The cause of her death was given as acute dialation of the stomach from the formation of gases which pressed on the heart and diaphragm, producing almost instant death.

Funeral services were held from her late home yesterday afternoon at 2:00 o'clock in charge of her pastor, Rev. A.L. Jordan, of the Stockport Methodist Episcopal church, with interment at the Miller's Chapel cemetery.

Mrs. Cecil was the oldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Silas Carter. Mrs. Cecil's mother was born near Mt. Zion in 1853, and Mrs. Cecil was born on what was known as the Barclay farm just west of Pierceville, December 9, 1870, and was, therefore, in her 49th year.

Mrs. Cecil had spent all her life in this immediate vicinity, and had never rode on a train but once, and that was but just a few years ago when she was taken to the Ottumwa hospital, for a minor operation.

In September, 1890, she was married to Amos Cecil, and to them six sons were born, two dying in early infancy, and one Pvt. Elvin Emmet, who died in France, October 9, 1918, from disease; Charles Lester, recently returned from overseas; Francis Carl and Standley Theron. She also leaves her husband, an aged father, two brothers, nieces, nephews and a large number of to mourn for this most excellent woman's sudden demise.

The deepest sympathy of the entire community goes out to the bereaved ones in their saddest hour, and-
"Mother, if in some realm of brighter day,
Your spirit, purified by fires of pain,
Should linger, listening for some half missed voice,
With thots of earth again,
And I could send one whispered word thru space
One word of Earth, to reach your higher sphere
I would - low groveling in my grief - sob out,
"You were so dear!"

Source: Van Buren Co. Genealogical Society Obituary Book H, Page 104, Keosauqua Public Library, Keosauqua, IA