Obituaries (August 7)

Clara Minnie Newton Crouch

Utica Saturday Globe, June 1915

 

Clara (Newton) Crouch

1880 - 1915

Norwich [Chenango Co., NY]:  Clara Newton, wife of Rev. Clifford C. Crouch, who died last week at Oakmount Sanitarium was the oldest daughter of Adolphus and Florence E. Tucker Newton and was born in the town of Plymouth [Chenango Co., NY] April 24, 1880.  When she was a child the family moved to Norwich, where she entered the public schools, but was prevented due to ill health from regular attendance.  Her natural thirst for knowledge led her by her own persistent efforts to gain an excellent education.  At the age of 18 she entered her father's insurance office as clerk and also acceptably assisted him in his work as secretary of the local Savings and Loan Association.  Later she entered the employ of the Oneida Community Company at Kenwood and while there met and married Rev. Clifford C. Crouch, Free Methodist minister.  Mrs. Crouch had been converted in childhood and lived an exemplary Christian life. She became a member of the Sheldon Street Free Methodist chruch and was one of the most faithful workers, serving competently as superintendent of the Sunday school.  After her marriage she persued her unselfish work, zealously helping her husband in his pastorates.  She gave no thought of her health until some months ago tuberculosis decended.  She came to the home of her sister Mrs. Asa Davis, in this city and stayed a fortnight before going to the sanatarium, where she hoped to regain her health for the sake of her little daughter, Julia Eleanor, aged 2, and husband, whose earnest helpmeet she had been.  Failing to mend under the best scientific treatment, her sister, went to the sanitarium last --- intending to bring her back to high altitude of the Chenango hills.  But a sudden hemorrhage brought her life to an unexpected end at the hospital, where her gentle spirit had endeared her to the patients and attendants.  Besides her husband and little daughter, she is survived by two sisters, Miss  Ethel F. Newton and Mrs. F. Consuelo Newton, of this city; a brother, Dana Newton, of Seattle, Washington; grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Abner Tucker, of North Pharsalia, two uncles, Robert Tucker, of this city, and George Tucker of North Pharsalia, and three aunts, Mrs. Phoebe Newton, of Norwich, Mrs. Adelaide Beers, of Seattle, Washington, and Mrs. Flora Davis at ---se home she was a member of the family circle.  Funeral services were held form the home of her aunt, Mrs. Davis, at the corner of East Main and Silver streets, Rev. O. Baker of Rome, officiating.  Burial in Mount Hope.

John Fisher

Norwich Sun, April 24, 1925

Cortland [Cortland Co., NY]:  John Fisher, 87, for many years a tanner at South Otselic [Chenango Co., NY] died suddenly at noon yesterday at the Preble hotel where he has been making his home for several years.  Half-hour before his death Mr. Fisher was visited in his room and was apparently in excellent health and spirits.  When hotel servants went to call him for his dinner they found him dead in a chair.  Coroner B.. Parsons of Cortland after viewing the body stated death was due to valvular heart disease.  It s believed  Mr Fisher attempted to rise to come to his dinner but when stricken sank into the chair in which he was found dead.  Mr. Fisher was born in Germany and came to this country when a boy.  During his youth he lived at Minoa and later moved to South Otselic where he conducted a tanning business until the death of his wife in 1909.  Surviving are two sons and a daughter:  Arthur M. Fisher of Cortland and Milton Fisher of Onondaga Valley and Miss Alice Fisher of Buffalo. The body will be removed from Briggs undertaking rooms to home of his son, Arthur Fisher at 21-1/2  Prospect street in this city,  Burial will be Sunday at South Otselic.

Mary Arabella (Peck) Cox

The Weekly Gleaner, DeRuyter, NY, July 21, 1892

Thursday evening, July 7, 1892, there entered into the spiritual life, Mary Arabella Peck, the beloved wife of Frank E. Cox.  Last New Year's was her 33d birthday.  She had always lived in this community and was highly esteemed by all who knew her.  Her family relations were of the closest intimacy and affection.  She leaves, besides her husband, her father and mother, Frederick and Mary Peck, and her bother, Walter B., aged 17, and two children, Flora Belle aged 13 years, and Camilla Marie, aged fifteen months.  Seldom do we meet with a departure so beautiful, a separation so painful.  Painful, because of the exceptional promises of happiness and usefulness awaiting her here, and beautiful in the spirit with which she left them.  Love and duty, charity and devotion had been the expression of her entire life.  Her illness had been long and most trying, and its peculiar nature had rendered seclusion from all but the most immediate members of her family a necessity. She was thus removed from the companionship of many to whom her love and sympathy were freely extended.  As her illness advanced, her true nobleness of spirit manifested itself more and more to those whose privilege it was to minister to her; more and more it was proved how ill we could afford to part with her, and at the same time how fit was she to receive the change.  When it finally became apparent that recovery was no longer to be hoped for and that the change was near, with a strength that seemed beyond her physical powers, she had a personal heart to heart conference with each member of her family who was here. After arranging everything for her departure she said, "I will be with you always.  I am aware that we cannot do all we should wish in this life, neither do I suppose I can do in the next, but as far as the laws of nature will permit, I will do all I can for you all and make myself manifest, if it is possible."  She expressed a great satisfaction and thankfulness for the life she had been permitted to enjoy, saying that she had received much more than is given to many during a lifetime.  She had received those ministrations, both to her bodily and spiritual wants, which were most useful and acceptable to her. We cannot forbear to mention here the providential strength with which her husband and her mother have been sustained during their long ministrations of love and duty, and particularly during the constant watchings of the last days.  She arranged minutely all her business and family relations, gave the directions for her funeral services and burial then awaited with confident assurance and eager expectation the duties of that enlarged life, upon which she was about to enter. The funeral was held from her late home, Monday, July 11. The services at her request, were conducted by Dwight Parce. They consisted in the reading of a few short poems selected by her husband and her mother, some of which were found in her own scrap book, the offering of a prayer, and a few remarks, expressing the speaker's sense of the worth of her character and life, the noble work she had done and is doing now. The laying out of the body was wonderfully suggestive of her beautiful conception of death.  All the dress and the casket were of white; the stools upon which the casket rested were covered with white, while the furnishings within and without were covered with a profusion of roses.  her wish, "to lie in a bower of flowers," was indeed gratified.  The interment was in the village cemetery.  The casket was enclosed in a beautifully finished box of chestnut and the grave was lined with evergreens.  It was a perfect summer afternoon.  Most grateful to the family and friends was the respect so delicately and touchingly shown by the closing of all places of business and the large and sympathetic attendance at the services.--South Otselic Gazette.