Mertie Lorena (GALE) BISHOP SIEFKAS

SIEFKAS, GALE, BISHOP, HEARTZEN

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 11/20/2010 at 23:21:18

Osceola Tribune
Osceola, Clarke County, Iowa

OBITUARY - MERTIE LORENA SIEFKAS

Funeral services werre held Sunday, Oct. 23, at the Methodist church for Mrs. Mertie SIEFKAS, Rev. I. R. MAGERS officiating. Burial was made in the Murray cemetery under the direction of the Watts Funeral service.

Mrs. SIEFKAS had written her last will on September 17, also the following obituary:
Mertie Lorena GALE was born near Ellston, Ringgold county, Iowa on March 24, 1880, and died at the hospital in Osceola on the evening of Oct. 21, 1938 at the age of 58 years, 6 months and 27 days.

She ws the eldest living daughter of Jasper L. and Mary E. GALE. Her only brother was older and lives at Massillion, Ohio. One sister, Vera, lives at Houston, Texas. The youngest sister, Eva, resides in Minneapolis, and her aged mother at the same place.

When she was about five years of age, she moved with her parents to Nebraska and lived there 3 1/2 years, then returned to Ringgold county, Iowa. She has spent her entire life in Ringgold and Clarke counties, except for the time spent in Nebraska and a few months in Des Moines. On Thanksgiving Day 1896 she moved with her parents to Murray.

During a revival meeting in the winter of 1899 under the pastorate of Rev. W. L. DOUGLASS, she united with the Methodist Church.

On June 26, 1901 she was married to James Oscar BISHOP. To this union two children were born, Mary HEARTZEN and James Raymond BISHOP of Minneapolis.

She leaves one daughter-in-law, one son-in-law and five grandchildren and several aunts, uncles and cousins.

In the early fall of 1913 she and Mr. BISHOP and family moved to Des Moines, where he worked in the machine shops for a few months, then they returned to Murray, to help his father in the shop there, and lost his life in that terrible gasoline explosion on Oct. 18, 1913, leaving his broken hearted wife and the two small children, age 3 years and 15 months.

On March 1, 1928 she was united in marriage to E. F. [Englebert Frederick] SIEFKAS, he having passed away suddenly On Feb. 18, 1938.

Her father passed away Sept. 30, 1912 after a lingering illness.

Her health has been failing for over two years but she was always faithful to the church and attended as long as she could walk the distance and was always doing things good for others.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, November of 2010