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"Obituary - Alberta O. Westover"

Name: Alberta O. Westover

Death date: March 22, 1919

Cause of death: Influenza which developed into pneumonia.

Death location: Westover farm, four miles east of Farmington, St. Francois County, Missouri.

Burial date: March 28, 1919

Burial location: Three Rivers Cemetery, St. Genevieve County, Missouri.

Name of newspaper publication: Unknown

Newspaper location: Farmington, St. Francois County, Missouri.

Date published: March 1919

Note: Alberta O. Westover is one of the children that died. Her parents are John Ewing and Iva (Thurman) Westover.


"Transcript of the above obituary"

Title: Funeral Of Five Members Of John Westover Family Held Tuesday Afternoon.

 

Bodies of Parents and Three Children Laid Away in Same Grave - Largest Attended Funeral in History of County - Two Surviving Children May Recover.

The funeral of the Westover family, including John Westover, aged 33 years; his wife, aged 28 years, their oldest child, Pauline, aged 10 years, Alberta, aged 7 years, and Mable, aged a year, was held at the Woodman Cemetery near Three Rivers, north of Farmington, Tuesday afternoon at 10 o'clock, and was conducted by Rev. J. N. Sitton, assisted by the deceased's pastor, Rev. Kincaid, and also Rev. Davis, pastor of the Methodist church in Desloge.

Probably the largest crowd ever assembled at a funeral service in the county was in attendance on this unusually sad occasion, the like of which had not been witnessed in this community before. Rev. Sitton chose his text from 1st. Samuel, 20th chapter and latter part of 3rd verse, "There is but a step between me and death." His touching remarks, with special music by a splendid choir, made the services very impressive and long to be remembered. The five caskets were lowered into one large grave, the father first, then the mother, followed by the three little daughters. The two youngest children are boys, five and two years of age, and have both been seriously ill but are recovering.

John Westover was the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Westover, of the Russell Chapel neighborhood, where he was born and had spent his entire life. Besides his bereaved parents he leaves three sisters, Mrs. Annie Cunningham, Mrs. Joyce Aubuchon, both of the same neighborhood, and Mrs. Edna Merritt, who resides in Idaho; also one brother, James, who lives with his parents. Mrs. Westover was the oldest child of Eugene Thurman, now residing in Colorado Springs, her mother having died when she was a small child. Besides the heart broken father, she leaves two sisters, Misses Byrtle, and Lena Thurman; three half brothers, Lorin Thurman, of near Farmington, and Louie and Emmett, who are with their parents in Colorado Springs; a step-mother and a host of other sorrowing relatives and friends.

A singular coincident connected with the sad affair is that Mr. Westover selected and bought his burial lot just exactly one year to the day before his death. Forty men of the neighborhood asssisted in digging the grave and at one time nine men were at work together in this grave which was to hold the five tenements of clay until the resurrection morn when all that are in this tomb shall hear His voice and shall come forth.

The news joins the entire community in extending to the bereaved relatives deep sympathy in this unusually sad bereavement which has come upon them.

There were about 100 automobiles in the funeral procession and with the large number of neighbors and friends who had already assembled when the procession arrived, the crowd present has been estimated at about 1500 people.


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