The Davis City Advance, Davis City, Iowa
Thursday, March 25, l895

On going to the mail last Wednesday afternoon, I received a letter draped in mourning and post marked, Argonia, Kansas, April l6, l895, with the following:

'FUNERAL NOTICE'

"The funeral services of L.J. WALKER, will be held at the M.E. church, Wednesday, April l7, promptly at l:30 o'clock. The exercises will be under the auspices of the I.O.O.F. Sermon by Rev. B.F. Jones, Pastor. The public cordially invited.

"Argonia, Kansas, April l6."

The above caption was the first sad intelligence I received of the death of Bro. L.J. WALKER, husband of my oldest sister, BELL THARP WALKER.

The subject of this sketch was born as I remember in Ohio and moved from Ohio to Indiana, and Indiana to Iowa in l855 or '56 and resided on a farm one mile north of Decatur City for many years, where a family of six children were reared, one son and five daughters. Bro. WALKER was a member of the M.E. Church and a licensed exhorter, and was beloved and respected by all that knew him.

L.J. WALKER buried his first wife many years ago. She was interred in the Decatur Cemetery to await the resurrection morn. Bro. WALKER was married to BELL S. THARP in Sumner Co., Kas., April l886, where they resided at his death. Another aged veteran of the cross, aged about 75 years, has fallen asleep in Jesus, and buried in a southern land. But taking the life he led while here on earth, the Christians have a blessed hope of meeting him beyond this land of sin and gloom, where no lightning ever slumbers in the folds of the rainbow cloud and where storms never come.

The poet has beautifully sung:

"Far beyond life's fitful fever,
Far beyond this troubled dream;
Far beyond cold Jordan's river,
Far beyond that sullen stream.

"There we'll meet to part, no never,
There we'll roam the golden shore,
Where the living live for forever
And the sun goes down no more.

"Far beyond this world of sighing;
Far beyond where tears are shed,
Far beyond the sick and dying;
Far beyond the mouldering dead.

"Far beyond these painful partings;
Far beyond these better tears;
Far beyond these weary heartaches;
Far beyond these hopes and fears.

"Oh! that home beyond the shadows,
That dear land we soon shall gain,
Where we'll meet our blessed Savior,
Free from sorrow, toil and pain.

"There we'll meet to part, no never;
There we'll roam the golden shore,
Where the living live forever
And the sun goes down no more."

-- JOSEPH THARP
Davis City, Iowa, Apr. 20, l895.

Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
August 30, 2003