The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-07-04
Death of Keim K. Brooke.
By Daniel Mcdonald.

and most respected citizens in the
death of Keim K Brooke which oc-
Cured suddenly at his home in this
city at seven o'clock June &c. 1907
He had been an invalid for the past
few years, although it was known the
end was not far in the future, his
death was unexpected when it occur
red.
His earthly career was embraced IN
the following statistical information:
He was born in Parker's Ford, Ches-
ter county, Pennsylvania, May IL,
1885 When he was but IA years of
age his father died andN in 1s49 his
mother with her family of five child
rem, came to Indiana Dr. Jerred Z.
Brooke. of this city, is now the ony
surviving member of that family. On
May 16, 1853 he was married to- Mar
garet III. Patterson, who survives
him. Their family consisted of three
children, Mona, Carrie and Frank
Mona, now Mrs. F. c. Smith, and
Frank. are living; Carrie died Sep
tember 25, 1902 In early life he was
engaged in the drug business, being
employed at LaPorte and Indian
apolis, and during the latter part of
the SOS was for a time proprietor of
a drug store in Plymouth. In politics
he was a Democrat, and as such was
elected in 1878 Auditor of Marshall
County and served from March IA,
1879 to March IA, 1885. He was
careful. painstaking business man,
and conducted the business of the Of
ice with credit to hi- -1self and entire
satisfaction to the people whom he
served He was an efficient mem5er
of the city school board, having been
three times elected member thereof,
serving in all, about nine years
He was a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church having united with
the church in this place in early life
He oecam. a member of Plymouth
Masonic lodge No. 149, April 81, 1860,
and at the time of his death was the
oldest continuous member of that or
ganization In all the business rela-
TORS of life in which he was called
upon to act he performed his duties
faithfully and well, and in all the
walks of life during the long period
of his residence here his character
was without spot or blemish and one
worthy of emulation
We are apt to look upon death as
a great calamity, and temporarily, to
those afflicted it is natural that it
appears so. But the writer does not
believe it is Death. like birth, is
one of the necessary phases of human
existence But after death-what'
Ever since the time of job. when
in the agony Of his heart he pro-
pounded the momentous question, IF
a man die, shall he live again. the
interrogatory has rung down the cor
ridors of time unanswered
A writer of our own time has beau
tiful1y said: Il have asked that dread
full question: of the hills that look
eternal; of the clear streams that flow
forever; of the stars among whose
fields of azure many raised spirits
have walked in glory. All are dumb >
But he added: 81 cannot believe that
earth is mans abiding place. 1t can
not be that our life is cast up by the
ocean of eternity to float upon its
waves and then TO sink into nothing
ness, else why is it that the glorious
aspirations which leap like angels
from the temples of our hearts are
forever wandering about .unsatisfed?
clouds come over us with a beauty
that is NOT of earth and pass off and
leave us to muse on the faded lowell
ness? Why is it that the stars that
hold their festival around the mid
night throne are set above the grasp
of our limited faculties, forever
mocking us with their upapproach-
able glory? And finally, why is il
that bright forms of human beauty
are presented to our view and then
taken away from us, leaving the
thousand Streams of affection to flow
back into Alpine torrents on the
heart? We are born for a higher
destiny 'han that of earth. There Is
a realm where the rainbow never
fades; where stars will be spread out
before us like islands that slumber
on the ocean, and where the beings
that pass out before us shall stay in
our presence forever"
Our friend has passed over the
mystic river with the grim ferryman
to the great beyond Beyond this
beautiful and ripping stream. this
mystic river, just over the edge of a
grassy knoll, writer has beautifully
said. there blooms rare and richly
tinted flower They tell us it is SC
rarely beautiful that it may have
blushed to- life at the touch of an an
gels kiss, and caught its rosy husl
from burning star. Beyond the
painless mountains that lift their blue
peaks in the fading distance, they tel
us there is charming valley tha
drinks the diamond dew of the morn
ing and bathes in the liquid sunbeam:
clad in verdure of everlasting greer
and dotted all over with flowers o.
every hue and shade Beyond tht
blue shade of the pathless ocean, they
tell us there is climate from which
the mellow sunlight of spring nevel