Katherine (Blosser) DERSCHEID

BLOSSER, DERSCHEID, HOUGHTON, MASSEY

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 5/30/2009 at 19:32:42

14 June 1840 -- 14 December 1921

Katherine Blosser was born in Germany, June 14, 1840, and passed away December 14, 1921 at her home in Iroquois, South Dakota, being at the time of her death 81 years of age. The deceased was left an orphan when she was but eight years of age. When she was 18 years old she migrated to America and two years after her arrival in this country, August 12, 1860 she was married to Christian Derscheid, the ceremony taking place in the city of Chicago. Her husband was a soldier in the war of the rebellion, serving in the Union army, like many other loyal Americans of German extraction who served their adopted country faithfully and well. This same husband survives her, though an invalid now for a number of years, being 6 years her senior, and is the only surviving member of the Grand Army of the Republic residing in the city of Iroquois at the present time. Shortly after the war closed, Mr. and Mrs. Christian Derscheid settled on a farm near Eagle Grove, Iowa, where several of their large family of eleven children were born and where some members of their family now reside. In 1883 they left Iowa and came to Dakota Territory to homestead some land, and settled on a piece of land nine miles north and one west of Iroquois, not far from the present town of Osceola. In common with the early settlers of this part of the country they shared the trials so familiar to early settlers, holding down their claim during hard winters when the only fuel available was twisted hay. Mrs. Derscheid worked hard as a faithful mother, conquered in spite of hardships incident to pioneer life and leaves behind her a splendid family of children, who rise up and call her blessed.

Three of the daughters, Maggie, Mary and Lizzie have gone to the great beyond. An invalid husband to whom she has ministered most faithfully during his long illness, eight children, 27 grand children and 23 great grand children remain to mourn her loss. The children were all at her bedside at the time of her death. They are Charles, Peter, Fred, George, August, William Derscheid, Mrs Minnie Houghton, all of Iroquois and Osceola, and Mrs Kathryn Massey, of DeGray. Deceased was always a loving wife and mother and will be greatly missed by her husband and children. She joined the Evangelical church in an early day, in which she continued to hold her membership until death, and although she did not find her own denomination here she attended and worked in the Methodist Episcopal church with as much devotion as if she were actually a member. She was over 80 years of age before she was compelled by poor health to discontinue walking to the chruch services on Sunday morning. She was sick a year ago and told her pastor at that time that she thought her time had come to die, but expressed herself as being prepared to go, and had no fear whatever. She rallied and was herself again for a little while, but the weakness revived and she felt quite certain that she was not going to be here with us very long. She lived a quiet, peaceful Christian life, always interested in the welfare of her family and the best interests of the community and in the same spirit she quietly slipped away.