The Dickinson press., 1898-02-12
A Saddened Household.

A Saddened Household. !.
1t is sad at any time to have to chroni-
Gle the coming of the dread angel of
death within our circle, even though the
event may have been expected daily.
1t is much more sad to have to record a
sudden loss such as it is our sad duty to
do in this issue.
Last Saturday in the early hours of the
morning word came forth from the house
of MI. l. c. DeGraf that his beloved
wife and companion had passed away.
The news wa SO unexpected and so sud-
den that many refused to credit the re-
port. Alas! it was but too true. On Sat-
urday, January 20, at noon the members
of the DeGraff household were overjoyei
at the arrival of a beautiful baby girl to
give additional joy to their already bliss
full life. The father felt as proud as
fathers can feel, the mother rejoiced in
her promising gift to their household,
and for n week unclouded joy was
their portion. kilograms, messages and
congratulations passed to and fro with
lightning-like rapidity, when, alas! the
angel of death had set his seal upon the
wife and mother. DR.. Davis, in attend
ance up to IL o'clock Friday, February
4th, felt elated with the progress made;
but early on the morning of the 9Th he
was hastily summoned and to his utter
dismay found a sudden and sad change
in his patient. Summoning additional
assistance, DR.. Smith came but with no
beneficial results; for at $50 the spirit of
Esther DeGraff had gone home to her
Maker. The of death was %arterial
thrombosis, that is, a plugging of n of
the cerebral arteries by a thrombus, or
clot, probably formed in or about the
valves of the heart and floating to the
brain. Mrs. DeGraff at II o'clock was
sleeping as naturally as could be wished
and was apparently better than at any
time. This sleep continued until cor
seriousness set in and she never knew
that death had come to call her home.
Esther Lenneville was the only daugh-
ter of Mr.. and Mrs. Moses Lenneville,
amongst the oldest and most respected
citizens of Dickinson, having spent over
~ years here. Esther was born in East
Dubuque, November 16, 1871 and with
her parents came to St. Paul eight years
later. At that city she attended for two
years and six months the Plymouth
church Sunday school and that work was
then and forever stamped upon her
heart by a constant attendance every
| Sunday, never missing for n day the
| sessions of the school. Soon after reach
ing Dickinson she joined the Congrega-
tional church during the Rev. MI. SHELLS
pastorate. In 1890 Esther commenced,
what to her became her life's work in
the same school in this city that two
years previous she had joined as a men,
Der, SO that for eight years she has been
a faithful teacher and a willing worker
in any department of the church and
Sunday school, being clerk of the church
at the time Of her death. In June 1892
at the request of her pastor she took
charge of the senior class of girls and for
five years had held their undivided atten-
ton and answering love. Mr.. l. c. De-
Graft came to Dickinson on July 10. 1893
and just n year later was united in
marriage to Esther L%enneville by the
Rev. John Orchard, since which time an
unclouded life has been their joy and
portion The lives of these two friends
seemed peculiarly fitted for one another,
from the moment their union took place.
1t was their delight to anticipate n an
others every wish and thus they lived
for one another. Yet moi in the selfish
way that is at times found in a devotion
so pure and true, but rather in seeking
the welfare of those round about them,
This in a very marked sense was the
case with Mrs. DeGraf and her class of
girls. Their devotion was fostered by
Esther's constant thought for them. In
every way they seemed to have a part Of
that devoted life as theirs.
The funeral took place from the Con.
gregational church on Tuesday, Febru.
airy 8, at 2 o'clock, Rev. u. G. Rich off.
ciating, assisted by Rev. John Orchard
of Fargo. The floral and evergreen dec.
orations were very beautiful and spoke
of warm hearts everywhere. Potted
plants on stands, many vases of Gala
lilies, narcissus, hyacinths, roses and car
nations and ropes of evergreen trimmed
pulpit and platform, while upon the cas-.
ket rested a wreath and pillow of roses
and other choice cut flowers and a
wreath of ivy leaves with white
flowers at the base. Paste,
Rich spoke from the sculpture words
Remember now thy creator in the day:
of thy youth"-an appeal to the young
and from the text "She being dead ye'
speaketh." Mr.. Orchard gave a brie'
outline of Esther's life and as a persona
friend of the family and representing the
city of Dickinson and those in his own
home spoke of the sweet, unsel6sh de
voted life of the n just gone. But thu
strongest sermon and object lesson came
from the children, her class of yount
: girls OF the platform, and an audience
that were saddened with weeping as Mr.
Orchard led them in prayer to the thron,
, of God. 1t was indeed to those in Dick
inson a day to be remembered and a ser
vice Of the deepest sadness and yet will
7 glimpses of joy and hope.
The choir, consisting of Mesdame'
!. Davis, Ayers, Wiley and McKibbin ane
Messrs McWilliams and Andrews sta
toned in the gallery sang, "Sometim'
Well Understand" "Abide With Me-
and Though Destruction Walk Aroun,
Us"
: The pail bearers were Messrs Sco6eld
Ayers, Riessbeck, Davis, Tingle an,
I~.o> A ,,n.,, 1o,ra r,r,kn~ oe f.3~oI