Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-06
DEATH OF MRS. .DOWNEY.
Interesting Facts About a Widely Loved
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Interesting Facts About a Widely Loved
Woman.
On Saturday afternoon, just as the
| winter sun was sinking into the sea, the
great gardener whose master hand and
brain devised the beauties of Eden,
transplanted another Rose to the gar
dens of the land immortal. Though O.
great sufferer for some months pleced-
ing her death her buoyant epirit kept
her go full of courage that the news of
her demise fell like heavy blow upon
her legion Of friends.
Rose Vincentia Kelly was born in Ire
land and came to America at years
of age. Her parents settled in FEN
nessee and both died there few years
later. The family in whose charge the
orphan girl was left removed TO Leaven-
worth, Kan, and thence to Helena,
Mont. There she received the final
touches to her education and became
the highly polished lady that our citi-
zens have known in the last 20 years.
Deeming the rigors of Montana win
ter too severe for her, she came to Los
Angeles in the winter of 1872. One OF
her earliest friends here was the frat
wife Of Governor John G. Downey, who
lost her life in 1881 at the frightful holo-
csust at Tehachepi; and after six years
of q widower's weeds, the sturdy old
gentleman led to the altar his late wife'e
most intimate friend. There were four
sunlit years that followed this second
marriage, and the summer evenings on
the porch of the modest old homestead
opposite the Westminster saw them sur
rounded by legion of friends. On Sun
days the. big family carriage, with its
dashing pair OF chestnuts, whirled them
down to Redondo in the morning and
back home to dinner as the evening
shadows grew longer. The old mans
twilight years were full OF tranquil en-
joyment, after an active and busy life.
There was no prouder presence that
walked these streets.
In the midst of it all the fell stroke
came down upon him. The fatal mall
ady first became known to him about
the very height OF the midsummer's
glow. For months he kept it a pro-
found secret, even from bis most
intimate friends, but as the sum-
mer waned and autumn stole on apace,
the truth had to come out. The grace
fal, genial lady, whose sunny nature
diffused about her everywhere glow of
TdulduCt, WIS uOOul6u W OtdtH ny d OiE-
ease as ruthless as the wolf and as un-
erring as the compass needle. Four
painful months OF heroic suffering went
slowly by and then she passed from
death into life.
1t is not in the homes of wealth that
this earnest and sincere woman will be
missed the most, but in the homes of
those who suffered the papgs of i'll
requited toll and whom her kindly ma
ture was ever ready to relieve. She was
q deeply religious woman and one who
realized that the mission of religion is
to make mankind cheerful. About her
everywhere she cast the summer sheen
OF her bright nature end left the impress
OF her earnest soul. Fortified with
sublime courage, she calmly met the
king of terrors without a ehudder of
fear; ard like the trusting, heroic
woman that she was, passed onward
and upward to long-deferred reward.
"Great is the steadiness of soul and thought,
BY reason bred and religion taught;
Which, like a rock amid the stormy waves,
Unmoveo rom ,ins and all afliiction braves"