Mary Amanda (STEWARD) SHELDON

STEWARD, SHELDON, GERMAN, HILL, BRECKENRIDGE

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 7/31/2011 at 18:51:43

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa

OBITUARY ~ MARY AMANDA (STEWARD) SHELDON

Mary Amanda SHELDON, daughter of Minnie and Edgar STEWARD, was born at Benton, Iowa, on Jan. 19, 1899, and departed this life at the Clearview Home in Mount Ayr May 30, 1981 at the age of 82 years, five months and 10 days. She had been in ill health for the past two years. Her childhood was spent in Ringgold County where she attended school.

On Dec. 6, 1917 Mary was united in marriage with Orville SHELDON and to this union were born six children. They were privileged to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 1967.

Mary was a member of the Rebekah Lodge and Tuesday Club. She was also a member of the First Christian church for over 50 years. Her church was her strength for life.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Orville, who died in 1971; and two sons, Ivan in infancy and Glenn in 1970; and two brothers, Frank STEWARD and Guy GERMAN.

Those who remain to cherish her loving memory are her two daughters - Velma (Mrs. Harris HILL) of Shannon City and Minnie (Mrs. Billy BRECKENRIDGE) of Tingley; two sons-in-law, whom she thought so much of - Harris HILL and Billy BRECKENRIDGE; her thoughtful sons - Leo B. SHELDON of North St. Paul, Minn. and Robert SHELDON of Norfolk, Va.; her loving daughters-in-law - Mildred SHELDON and Anne SHELDON of Norfolk, Va. and Audrey SHELDON of North St. Paul, Minn.; 11 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren, who were her pride and joy. She loved to have them around her. Also two brothers survive - Ferman STEWARD of Jackson, Minn. and Cleo GERMAN of Battle Creek, Iowa; and a number of nieces and nephews.

Mary will be greatly missed by her neighbors, her many friends and her family.

A poem that was meaningful to the family is the following:

GOD EVER CARES!
Not only in life's summer
When skies are bright and days are long and glad,
He cares as much when life is draped in winter,
And heart doth feel bereft, and lone, and sad.

GOD EVER CARES!
His heart is ever tender!
His love doth never fail nor show decay.
The loves of earth, though strong and deep, may perish;
But His shall never, never pass away.

GOD EVER CARES!
And thus when life is lonely,
When blessing one time prized are growing dim,
The heart may find a sweet and sunny shelter -
A refuge and a resting place in Him

GOD EVER CARES!
And Time can never change Him.
His nature is to care, and love, and bless,
And drearest, darkest, emptiest days afford Him
But mean to make more sweet His own caress.
~ J. Danson Smith

Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 2, 1981, at Rhoades-Wilson Funeral Home in Mount Ayr. Officiating ministers were Pastor Doris KINTON and Rev. Les CALHOUN. Organist was Mike GREENE.

Casketbearers were Roger HILL, Ronnie KING, James THOMAS, Phillip DRAKE, Edmund SEAWARD and Bill BRECKENRIDGE. Burial was in the Diagonal Cemetery.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, July of 2011