The Oskaloosa herald., 1909-07-29
THE BYERS FUNERAL
Remains of Oskaloosa Boy Now
Rest in Forest Cemetery


ial services for the late Lawrence
Marshall Byers, professor of law at
the State university of Iowa, and son
Of Major and Mrs. S. H. M. Byerst Of
Des Moines, were held in the First
Presbyterian church of Oskaloosa
Monday afternoon, the body being In
TERED in the Byers family lot at For
est cemetery by the side of his sister,
Helen, who preceded him years ago TO
the realms beyond.
1t was especially fitting that the de-
ceased should have been brought
back here to his boyhood home for
burial and that the final tributes to
his life and service should nave been
offered in the First Presbyterian
church, where in his early childhood
he attended Sunday school and first
confessed Christ as his Savior, and
wherein he held his first church mem
bership. 1t was in the same building
that the funeral services OF his sister
were held, and the desk on the pulpit,
which was embedded and almost COM
pletely hidden in the establishment
of beautiful flowers, was hewn from
tree in Palestine under which the
two children used to play, and was
donated to the church by Major Byers
as, memorial to his daughter Helen.
Old schoolmates and former friends
of the family acted as pall bearers.
The floral display at the church,
forming solid background on the
platform. was as elegant and elabo-
rate as has ever been seen in this
city, the flowers making more, than a
wagon load. A Shipment of $50
pounds of floral pieces was received
from Des Moines Monday morning,
and an abundance of flowers were re-
ceived from friends at Iowa City and
other places over the state as well as
in Oskaloosa. Undertaken j. B. Nc
Curdy and three assistants worked
nearly three hours in arranging the
flowers at the church.
The remains, accompanied by the
parents, relatives and friends, includ-
ing Mrs. Pauline Given Swain of
Southampton, England, wife of Colo
mel A. w. Swain, U. S. Consul, and
J. d. Edmundson of Des Moines, ar
rived in the city via the Rock Island
at o'clock Monday afternoon, the
funeral procession moving at once to
the church, where Rev. Alexander Nc
Ferran conducted the services. Miss
Pearle Porter rendered the organ Sc
lections, and vocal music was fur
nished by a quartette composed OF
Mrs. Virginia knight Logan, Miss
Hazel Phillips, Harry Douglas and
| Clifford johnson. Rev. McFerran de-
livered an elegant tribute to the de-
parted young man, offering as the rea-
son for his being taken away in the
prime of life the sublime thought that
the Creator needs such men in Heav-
en-. He brought words Of comfort and
cheer to the bereaved parents whose
solemn pride in their sons achieve
ments was nearly overcome by their
grief at losing his companionship.
Brief tributes were offered by friends
of the deceased at the special request
of the family.
Major John F. Lacey offered in a
few words an expression of the great
loss sustained in the death of Law
renee Byers. He recalled the &C.
workmanship he formed with the
two Byers children, then six and four
years of age respectively, when play
ing with them in the mountains of
Switzerland, about thirty-one years
ago. He told how little then he
thought that at this time he would be
speaking at the funeral of the then
happy, healthy youth and that his
sister would have preceded him in
her departure from this life. ''
His Life at Penn College.
President A. Rosenberger of Penn
college was called upon to speak in
reference to the deceased's life at that
institution and he responded as fol.
4 lows: '.' ''' '"'~'" '"''.'
Lawrence Byers entered the Penn
Academy third year course in the
autumn of 1885. The next year he
| was enrolled in the Freshman class
and continued without interruption
as student in the college until he
was graduated therefrom in 1890. At
the time of graduation he was scarce.
ly half way out of his teens" being.
perhaps, the youngest member of the
alumni at graduation. : 7n'
Being richly endowed with mental
qualities, his course through college
was one continued series of successes,
The most of his previous life having
been spent in. Europe, he possessed a
speaking knowledge of both German
and French, which was of great ser
vice TO him in linguistic studies. Not
only did he speak these languages,
but ahe was also familiar with the
rich literature of their poets, authors,
orators and statesmen Choosing
the classical course in college, with
zest he entered into the study of
Greek and Latin and from them ac-
CURED a knowledge Of the ancient
classics that nroved Invaluable to him