John T. TOWNSEND

TOWNSEND, HOLDENBY, GARDNER, ESTELL, FRANK, HAMMOND

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 1/1/2008 at 15:15:44

Winterset Madisonian, Winterset, IA
May 21, 1958

JOHN T. TOWNSEND Of Winterset Dies

John T. Townsend, a Winterset business man for 22 years, died Saturday, May 17, 1958, at Memorial hospital in Winterset, after an illness of several weeks following a heart attack. He was 69 years of age. Mr. Townsend was born at Dows on Nov. 7, 1888, a son of John Thomas and Mary Jane Holdenby Townsend. He was married April 19, 1911, to Inez Gardner. They were parents of two daughters, both of whom survive their father. As a young man, Mr. Townsend engaged in the grocery business in Clarion, later operated a clothing store at Nashua. He moved to Madison county in 1920, where he engaged in farming for 16 years. In 1936 he purchased the Maytag Appliance store in Winterset, engaging in that business until 1953 when he sold out. Since then he had operated the Earl May Seed sore here. During his life in Winterset, Mr. Townsend had been active in the affairs of his community. He was a member of the Winterset Christian Church, and a past chairman of its board. He was a past president of both the Rotary club and Chamber of Commerce here, and a member of the Knights of Pythias lodge.

He is survived by his wife; the two daughters, Mrs. Marjorie Estell of Des Moines and Mrs. Esther Frank of Winterset; two grandchildren, Thomas Dale and Nancy Jane Frank; a brother, Alfred Townsend of Omaha; and a sister, Mrs. Margaret Hammond of Ft. Dodge.

Funeral services were held Monday from the Winterset Christian church, conducted by the pastor, the Rev. Warren Hile. Burial was made in the Winterset cemetery.