Mary Pennel (Rowley) COWLEY

COWLEY, ROWLEY, BLANDING, KONKLER, BERRYHILL, DUFFY, PEPPER, HARRIS, HARMON, KEHLER

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 5/22/2009 at 19:45:15

Mary Pennel Rowley Cowley was born near Rowan, Wright County, Iowa, Aug. 2, 1870, and grew to womanhood in this vicinity. On November 10, 1891, she was married to Henry Cowley at Belmond. Five children were born to the union, namely, Blanche, Merle, and Alice who are at home; Fern, now Mrs. Frank Blanding of St. Croix Falls, Wis,; and Jessie, now Mrs. Walter Konkler of Des Moines. All of the children were privileged to be with their mother during her last illness. The family lived in the vicinity of Rowan until the spring of 1897, when they moved to the vicinity of LaPorte City, living there until March 1914, when they moved to their farm north of St. Croix Falls, Wis., residing there until November 1921, the failing health of the mother making it necessary for the family to move into St. Croix Falls, where they have resided since.

She leaves to mourn her loss, her husband, five children, four brothers and sister, namely, J. W. Rowley of LaPorte City, A. W. Rowley of Omaha, G. T. Rowley of Portland, Ore., W. S. Rowley of Albany, Ore., and Mrs. Roberta Berryhill of LaPorte City. She also leaves three grandsons, William Duffy, Sr., and R. R. Duffy and Mrs. Mary Pepper of Dows are step-brothers and sister respectively of the deceased. She was a member of the Congregational church at Rowan and teacher in the Sabbath school for some years, being converted in her early girlhood. On moving to her new home she transferred her membership to the Mt. Auburn M.E. church and later to the Eureka M.E. church where she held her membership at the time of her death. She always took an active interest in the work of the church wherever she lived and her Christian character and noble womanhood is known to all far and near.

Funeral services were held Tuesday at 10 a.m. in the M.E. church at St. Croix Falls and on Wednesday, March 18 [1925] at 11 o’clock at the Congregational church at Rowan conducted by Rev. C.T. Halbert. Burial was in the Rowan cemetery. Those from a distance who attended the services here were, the husband, Henry Cowley, son Merle, daughters Blanche, Alice and Mrs. Walter Konkler, Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Cowley of LaPorte City, Walter Konkler, Des Moines; Mr. and Mrs. F. A. Harris, Hampton; Mrs. John Rowley, La Porte City; Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Harmon, Clarion; Herman Pepper, Waverly; David Pepper, Dows; Warren Kehler of La Porte City.

Source: Alice Brook brookj@juno.com
ca. March 1925