C. W. Taylor Drops Dead.
Lifeless Body Found by Wife in His Office About 9:30 P.M. Thursday – Had Worked All Day.

Charles W. Taylor, for many years a business man of this city, was found dead in his office about 9:30 o’clock Thursday evening by his wife, who had gone to call him.

Mr. Taylor was proprietor of a garage and dray line and had been about his work as usual Thursday and was apparently in good health, and the news that he was dead could hardly be believed by our citizens.

Mr. and Mrs. Taylor lived in the rooms over his garage and store and he had an office in the store where he was accustomed to spend some time each evening looking after his books or at other work. Thursday evening he went to the store as usual while his wife went across the street to spend the evening at the home of their daughter, Mrs. A. E. Ableiter and husband. She returned home about 9:30 and Mr. Taylor not being there she went down stairs to the store and found him lying on the floor dead. Help was hurriedly summoned and Dr. McDannell, who was attending a meeting of the Odd Fellows, was called.

From appearances Mr. Taylor had been dead some time, probably an hour. Just how death came can only be surmised. Two automobile tires lay across his body, but whether he had been working with them or whether he caught and pulled them onto him when he was stricken and fell, is not known.

It was a terrible shock to the wife who, just a brief space of time before, had left him in what seemed to be good health, to return home and find his body cold in death, and the sympathy of the entire community went out to her and the daughter in their affliction.

Charles W. Taylor was born at Waterloo, Iowa, August 2, 1863, and departed this life February 21, 1918, at Nashua, his age being 54 years, 6 months and 19 days. He was the youngest of four children born to James P. and Laura Taylor.

The deceased is the last of his family, all the others having preceded him to the Silent Land.

At the age of 6 his parents moved to Albert Lea, Minn., and it was in this town that the important years of his young life were spent. At the age of 19 he met Miss Harriet Clason and persuaded her to marry him. The date of the wedding was July 12, 1882. The young couple commenced housekeeping in Nashua and, except eight years spent in New Hampton this town has been their home. One child was born to bless this union Mrs. Laurel Ableiter, of this place and her two children were very precious to their grandfather.

For a number of years Mr. Taylor cared for his aged parents, building them a home near to his, and acting the part of a dutiful son until the time of their death. He was an active church worker for many years and at the time of his death was a member of the M. E. church of Nashua. He was also a member of the Masonic lodge, the Eastern Star and the Modern Woodmen.

Mr. Taylor was of a genial, cheerful disposition and in his daily work about the streets always had a smile and a pleasant word for everyone. He was always ready to stretch forth his hand to help anyone in need and his kindly presence will be greatly missed by many outside the circle of relatives.

The funeral services were held Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Methodist church, Rev. H. D. Green officiating. The funeral party was met at the home and escorted to the church by the members of Bradford Lodge No. 129, A. F. & A. M., of which deceased was a member, and the members of the Eastern Star and Isabella club also attended the services at the church in a body. From the church the Kasson escorted the body to Oak Hill cemetery where it was laid to rest in the Silent City of the Dead according to the Masonic ritual.

Contributed by Misti Adams

Mrs. Taylor Injured in Storm, Dies

The severe windstorm of last week producing winds of 35 and 40-mile velocities at times, caused the death of a beloved Nashua old timer, Mrs. Harriet Taylor. She was 88 years old.

Mrs. Taylor had lived alone, in her apartment at the Kirkland hotel. She walked to the post office Wednesday, Nov 24, during the afternoon, and remarked while there that, had she known the wind was blowing so hard she would not have ventured out. She was a frail person, and hardly able to stand against strong winds.

She got back to her apartment, but when she entered the screen door to her home about 3:30 p.m., the wind threw the door against her and knocked her to the sidewalk. She suffered a fractured skull in her fall to the sidewalk, and died a short time later at Cedar Valley hospital in Charles City.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Saturday from the Methodist church, the Rev. Ralph J. Barron officiating. Burial was in Oak Hill. Music was by Mrs. Donald Shepard, and flowers were in charge of Bertha Coffman and Amy Goodsell. Casket bearers were A. C. Campbell, Charles Hansen, W. C. Knox, Amos C. Peterson, Bernice Butler and V. Prudhon.

Mrs. Taylor was born Sept. 29, 1866, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Clason of West Union. She received her education at West Union and Osage. She married Charles Taylor of Nashua July 12, 1882. He died in 1918.

She is survived by her daughter, Mrs. Laurel Ableiter of Nashua; a brother, William Clason of Minneapolis; three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Taylor was an active member of the Methodist church for many years and was a past secretary of the Sunset club of the church.

Contributed by Misti Adams

Contributed by Claudia Groh

Andrew C. Thompson, 78, of 730 Captin Cook Avenue, died Sept. 1, 1978. He was born in Iowa. Services 9:30 a.m. Friday at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Contributed by Jim Johnson, May 2008

Contributed by Claudia Groh

Helen Ruth Thompson was born on Sept. 14, 1930, at Jerico to Leonard and Christine (Thronson) Anderson. The family moved to Waterloo, where Helen received her education, graduating from East High School in 1949. On June 19, 1949, Helen was married to Everett Thompson at the Little Brown Church, Nashua. The couple lived for a few years in Waterloo, then moved to Ledyard, where Everett worked for Standard Oil.
Helen belonged to the Methodist Church in Ledyard, where she taught Sunday School and was active in the UMW and the Youth Fellowship. Helen became a member of the Bethany Evangelical and Reformed Church in Ledyard, when the Methodist Church closed. She belonged to the American Legion Auxiliary and was a leader of the Junior Auxiliary. Helen was a Den Mother for the Cub Scouts and was a former library board member in Ledyard. She enjoyed all types of crafts and reading. Helen died on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2002, at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minn. She was 71.
Helen is survived by her husband, Everett, Ledyard, and her children: Pat (and husband, Randy) Rowan, Fairmont, Minn.; Nancy Engeman, Armstrong; Richard (and wife, Ann) Thompson, Ledyard; Dennis (and wife, Tracy) Thompson, Ledyard; and Cheryl (and husband, Ronald) George, Fairmont, Minn. Also surviving are six grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and four step-great-grandchildren. Helen is also survived by one sister, Marian Timmer, Waterloo; one sister-in-law, Norma Henderson, and one brother-in-law, Roy Reynolds, Newton, Ill.
She was preceded in death by her parents; one infant son, James; two brothers, Ardell and Charles Anderson, and one sister, Lois Reynolds.
Funeral services for Helen were held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, March 4 (2002) at Bethany E & R Church, Ledyard, with the Rev. Larry Doughan officiating. Casketbearers were Shawn Engeman, Travis Engeman, Michael Rowan, Zachary Thompson, David Thompson and Dale Wempen. Interment was in Highland Home Cemetery, Ledyard. Garry-Roberts-Murphy-Schaaf Funeral Home, Bancroft, was in charge of arrangements.

Contributed by Jim Johnson, July 2008

Contributed by Claudia Groh

Contributed by Claudia Groh

Patrick Turley, who had been a resident of Nashua for a number of years, was called to his last long rest on Saturday, August 5, 1922, at the ripe age of 86 years, 5 months and 19 days. Deceased was born in County Armagh, Ireland in 1856, a year after his marriage to Bridget Loye and for the past forty years he and his wife had lived in Iowa, first on a farm near Charles City and afterwards moving to Charles City and a number of years ago he bought a home in Nashua and moved here to spend his declining years. Mr. Turley was a friend to old and young, an honest, upright citizen who knowingly wronged no one and was a friend of every one who knew him. He was a member of the Catholic church, and a true follower of its teachings. Funeral services were held from St. Michael's church in Nashua on Monday morning, conducted by Rev. B.A. Erdland and burial was in the Catholic cemetery at Charles City. There were many friends from Floyd, Charles City, Waterloo, Waverly, Plainfield and Waukon, in attendance at the funeral, to pay their last respects to one they loved as a true friend and brother.

Contributed by Cathy Joynt Labath of The Irish of Iowa