Obituary: Della KEPHART Brown (1878-1899)

Obituary. Mabel Della KEPHART Brown (1878-1899). Image courtesy of Verla Williams.

Died:-In Middletown township, May 17th, 1899, Della Brown, wife of Roscoe W. Brown, age 20 years, 6 months and 26 days.

Della Kephart was born at Cottage Hill, Dubuque County, Iowa, Oct. 22, 1878. In 1883 she came with her parents to Jackson County. On June 29th, 1898, she was united in marriage with Roscoe W. Brown, of Dickenson county, Ia.

For a few months after their marriage they lived in Spirit Lake, Ia., last fall moving to Jackson county where they have since made their home. Two years previous to her marriage she was engaged in school work in Jackson county where she made many warm friends.

In her life Della was kind, loving, loveable and loved, making many friends wherever she went. She leaves a host of relatives and loving friends to mourn her untimely death. A year ago last winter she gave her heart to God and has since striven earnestly to live a Christian life.

She died happy, fully trusting in the merits of the blood of Jesus Christ, for she said a short time before she died, "I am going home to Jesus." The she said to her husband, "I am going to leave you, but am only going before to make a home for you on the other side of the river."

Then she named over all of her absent relatives and sent some loving message to each, then bidding all those present goodbye, her husband last, bidding him a very affectionate goodbye, she sang two verses of that beautiful hymn, "'Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus." She soon closed her eyes in that last sleep that has no waking.

Everything was done that loving hands and kind friends could do to keep her here, but it was all of no avail. Her work on earth was done and the Lord called her home to that better land where sorrow and pain are not known.

Funeral services were held Friday in the church in Middletown, by Rev. Abbott, after which the remains were laid at rest in the Jackson cemetery.