The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-11-21
|. II. S.
Julia O'Brien,
Died November 5, 1908.
Aged
103 years, s months,
10 days.

The Sisters are looking after the funeral ar
rangements and Grandma will be buried from the
home this morning with Requiem Mass Old Mrs.
O'Brien had no relatives far is known. Her
last 'boy," as she called him. died two years ago at
another hospital of the Sisters of st. Francis in
One Hundred and Forty-third street of senile de
bility at the age of rs years.
Grandma came to Castle Garden from Ireland
as bride of twenty nine, and that about
enty-four years ago. She was taught to smoke
pipe on the way over by sailors on the sailing
sci, she always said, to prevent seasickness. Her
husband supported himself in various ways here in
New York for some years, and at the outbreak of
the civil war he and two of his sons enlisted in
New York regiment The husband was killed early
in the war. For many years after that Grandma
lived the pension the government gave her.
Twentyfour years ago she lived with a grand
daughter in Mulberry street. About that time John
Rottkanp owned butcher shop in Hester street.
and TO the shop Mrs. OBrien came for her steaks.
About six years ago the granddaughter who was
unmarried, died and then Grandma took little
fiat in the rear of the Rottkamp butcher shop at
169 Hester street Mr.. Rottkamp and his young
daughter, Caroline looked after the old woman un-
til the Rottkamps left their flat over the butcher
shop and moved to Jamaica
There were some granddaughter of Mrs. OBri
en- living them but they paid little attention
to her. Six years ago she journeyed to Brooklyn
to of the granddaughter to live there but TIE
want to be bothered with Grandma, so the Rott-
kamps say, and she put the old woman out.
Then Rottkamp, the Hester street butcher, got
an ambulance and had Grandma taken to the St.
Francis home in Fifth street. She wanted her pipe
soon after she was installed in the home The SIS
tiers thought tobacco injurious to her and took her
pipe away for few hours Grandma laughed at
FIST but the old craving grew her she pleaded
fer her smoke.
The Sisters gave Grandma her pipe then. They
made a rule, however, that she must smoke only
three times day, pipeful after each meal And
all day she would sit in the corridor in her easy
chair familiar figure to the patients in her black
dtcss and white cap and white apron and the Sis
tiers at the door said last night "She would make
the patients laugh" Wherefore when patients after
their convalescence left the hospital they would re-
member to write letters and picture postcards adj
dressed simply to Grandma" and the mail always
was promptly delivered.
When Grandma lived in the little fiat back of the
Rottkamp butcher shop the eurates from old st.
Patrick's in Mott street would come regularly once
month to hear her confession and give her Com
munion. Her only trouble in those days. aside
from the neglectfulness of her grandchildren, was
that she wasn't spry enough to walk down to St.
Patricks Sundays and holy days to go to mass.
Once upon a time she went to early mass every
MOI ming, but that was long ago.
Grandma was a tiny with a very fine
face wrinkled and sunken, but beautiful. Every
in East Eighteenth street to say hello to her.
GOOD morning, Grandma" he would say.
Good morning, doctor, and how are your littl,
ones?"
They're very WE'LL Grandma thank YOU"
"Well, then, God bless them,n spoke Grandma
and the doctor would pass on through the corridor
to see his patients That little morning converse
ton, said DR.. Mundorff last night. varied scarce
syllable since the first day Grandma to tn
! ST. Francis home.
The doctors wife and his mother to N
hospital last evening while the reporter was pres
ent and added big bouquet of flowers to the rose
and chrysanthemums that almost hid the cotlr
The patients that were able to come down stairs
tered the cande-lighted room and knelt beside tn
Sisters and made the sign of the cross and rraye
for the repose of Grandmas soul.
The butchers daughter Caroline, who sits be
hind the cashiers desk in Hester street, came II
and knet beside the cofin too when the shop wa
closed at dusk.
"She was very gentle" said Caroline as sh
looked down on the rigid, upturned face with tn
ruching of the widows cap tucked about it and tn
white fingers that clasped pair of red rosario;
Dr. Mundnrff said that the secret of Grandnla's Ion
| l.fe was "her piety and her simple faith"