The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-08-03
Obituary..

hhhlh uf MINIS. EMMA hh"oihoEN'.
Let braggart death his victims claim
And boast the many he hath slain;
Since life itself is but CLEAN,
And death a merely ceaseless dream.
Emma, wife of VIM. e Armstrong, Gate
postmaster of Utica, in this county, died al
the home of his mother in that village, on
Sunday morning, the 2Sth ult,, of that most
deIusive disease consumption.
Her maiden name was Gustin, and she
was born, raised and educated in the city of
New York. Her mother died when she was
an infant, leaving her and an older sister,
now Mrs Amanda Johnson, Of Upper Alton,
H., her only Children. In few years after
the death of his wife, her father remarked
and died. In 1866 Emma came to Alton and
made her home with her sister up to Oct
9th, 1881, when she married Mr.. Arm.
strong, since which time she has lived at
Utica.
Though never blessed with robust health,
Mrs. Armstrong enjoyed fairly good health
until 1888, when the silent monster marked
her for his victim, and she gradually de-
clined, yet she never abandoned hope until
within fortnight of her death. Blessed
with a kindly heart and charitable nature,
she was Of a loving and lovable disposition,
and as true to the nobler instincts of wo-
manly character as the needle to the pole
In her home ana companionship Of her hus-
band she found an earthly paradise and was
happy. Exceptionally chaste and pure in
thought, word and deed she was frank, gem
erous and open-hearted, and though WOO
man of we!-defned convictions, and ever
ready to defend them, she was liberal in her
views, and always consderateo of the feelings
of those whose opinions might differ from
hers. She united with the Presbyterian
church in her girlhood days, and continued
her membership therein,
During the last few weeks of his illness,
Rev. Strout. Of the NJ. E, church. called to
see her frequently, always finding her cheer
full and trustful Though anxious to live,
she was prepared to die, if such were the
Masters will, and when at last she saw the
lamp of life was burning more dimly day by
doy, che gave full directions for her funeral
and burial place, selecting the eastern slope
of one Of the highest peaks in the beautiful
coax Hill Cemetery" just north Of the
village, as the place Of her interment, exact.
ing double premise from her husband
first, that he would occasionally visit her
grave and place few forge''ne nots thereon,
and, secondly, that he would give directions
that his own mortal remains should be in
TERED close beside hers. Selecting the pail
bearers and choir, and her two favoriie
hymns, "Shsil we Gather at the River and
"Nesrer, My God, To Thee" she gave direc-
tions as to her casket and funeral clothes,
and requested that her corpse should be
taken to the NJ. f. church. and that Rev.
Strout should officiate Her wishes were
carried out in every respect, and her mortal
remains were laid away to rest beneath the
giant old forest oaks upon the brew Of the
north bluff of the beautiful Illinois river,
overlooking the broad plateau where little
over 200 years ago the ancient city Of
Kaskaskia stood with its tn ousands of dusky
skinned inhabitants, and beyond this looms
up the historic Starved Rock, near where
Fl. ST. LOUIS was built in 1852 by La Sale,
and occupied by Tonti, his one armed
Italian lieutenant, for 20 years, and where
in 1865. large band OF Indians were held
oaptiye and staryed to death
Here let her sleep. beneath the sunlight
and the moonlight, until the morning Of the
resurrection, when her name will appear in
the Lambs Book Of Life among the names
Of those whom love Of God has blessed. y
2. 4. A.