Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-11-15
DEATH Of
AUNT PEGGY


Aunt Peggy Sechler, whose critic
al illness was noted in our last issue,
departed this life just as the clock was
striking ten, Saturday morning, at the
age of one hundred years and twelve
days. Thus has passed away the old
est person in this section and the only
one hereabouts who has reached the
century mark within many years.
Aunt Peggy rounded out a cent
ury of life on Monday, October Goth
ana the occasion was observed in a
way TO do frll honor to the loved aud
venerable woman, who fingered on
earth so long beyond the average span
of life. Aunt Peggy's' good health,
her wonderful memory, her eyesight
and the interest she took in affairs, all
were objects of much comment at the
time. Few among those who assembl-
ed on her birthday dreamed, however,
that the end was only few days dist
ant-that the frail old body that seem
ed so miraculously sustained to cele-
| brate her one-hundredth birthday, in
less than a week was to show signs of
collapse aud speedily go the way of all
earth
The cause Of death was pneumonia,
which developed Thursday after four
days illness, which in itself was not
considered serious.
AUNT Peggy's'' maiden name was
Margaret Sanders. Her fathers name
was Jacob Sanders aud she was the
last survivor of fourteen children.
She was twice married, her first hus-
band being Thomas Hayes. Her Sec
ond husband, Jacob Sechler. was all
influential and we'll remembered man
of this community and died in 1879.
daughter of the deceased; John NJ.
Sechler, Ferry street. is a step-son,
while Mrs. S. B. Kocher, at whose
home Aunt Peggy" lived and died.
is a step-daughter. There are large
number of other relatives including
grand nieces and nephews and even
great grand nieces and nephews. All
whose lives in any way came in con-
tact with Aunt Peggy attest to her
sweet motherly disposition, her de-
vout nature and her gracious person
ality The universal love and esteem
in which she was held proved we'll
spring from which came many tender
tributes and kind offices without num-
Der. which made her life worth living
even while many of its enjoyments
were cut off and she fingered in the
very shadow of eternity.
On her last birthday Aunt Peggy
repeated the beautiful sentiment that
she had given expression to so often
before and which was to the effect that
in the very nature of things she could
expect to live but a little while long
er, but that in any event she was con-
tent and perfectly resigned She felt
that she had lived long time and
was willing to lay her body aside;
whenever it seemed TO be the will of
the Creator that she should go.
Across the fields from the Kocher
home where 'Aunt Peggy" breathed
her last, in plain view lies the home.
stead farm on which she first saw the
light of dav over one hundred years
ago. 1t was around the hearthstone of
this farm that Aunt Peggy" fondest
recollections centered Even to the
very last, when reminiscent, she was
fond of portraying the beautiful pict-
ures of childhood that she retained in
her memory. She could recall the
nights of the old-fashioned winters
When she Was still little more than a
babe and her father to protect her from
the biting cold wrapped her in blank
ct and carried her to bed. Fresh upon
her mind even was the circumstance
that her father first warmed the blank
ct by the fire. Later as a girl of four
teen, when Danville consisted only of
some half dozen houses, she recalled
carrying cherries through the woods
which lined Bloom street and selling
them for six cents per quart at the
only store in town, which stood on
West Market street near the site of
what was later the academy. This was
before Peter Badly opened a store in
the log building near the river. In
her declining years Aunt Peggy's"
memory dwelt on the days when men
wore knee breeches and wore their
hair hanging down their backs in
cue or pig tail-long before the canal,
the railroad or even the rolling mill
was dreamed Of
Aunt Peggy's' death was the fifth
to occur among the circle of near rela-
tives within the short period of a lit
tie over nine months On February lst,
1906, Mrs. John Sechler passed away.
On February % the death of Mrs.
Harmon Morrison occurred. On the
9Th of June Mrs Rebecca Sechler de-
parted this life and her demise in turn
was followed by the sudden death of
William Sechler on September IL.
These deaths among near relatives fol-
lowing in such quick succession made
a deep impression on Aunt Peggy"
and she could not understand why she
should be permitted to live on so far
beyond the allotted years while others
whose lives were 50 much mere useful
than her own should be cut down in
their prime. Evidently the grief over
these several deaths had something to
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