Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1911-04-27
WALTER AUDAS DEAD
Another Old Settler Called To That
Spirit World From Whence
No Traveller Hath Returned.

Monday our phone announced that
Walter Audas of Gray, Iowa, was dead.
As if petrified we stood still, and many
thoughts came and went intuitively.
For twenty years we had worked side
by side as business men. He, hard
ware merchant, and the writer, general
merchandising. We shared each others
troubles, we reveled in each others
good fortune. We went to distant
towns together and joined the lodges,
we became proficient in tho work and
helped our neighbors to build up. We
with other friends eventually organ
lied Utopia Lodge No. l6l I. o. o. F.
and from the nightof its inception to
the day of his death we have taken
just pride in it's advancement, he as
local member and we as an absent
devotee.
Mr.. Audas started in the hardware
business in Gray, in 1886, as a partner
with his brother, Peter. Audas Bros.
did large business and were known
in that early day, for many miles.
The absolute honesty Of the men was a
favorable advertisementfo for them which
brought business from a long distance.
During the trying times of 1893 and '94
when the country was in a state of
financial panic his firm ceased bust
ness with hundreds of others; when
their receiver took mean advantage
of the settlements and absorbed an un-.
just proportion of the assets and left
the firm honorably involved. for all
time. Mr.. Audas entered the employ
,ief Greenwaldt g. Groteluschen soon
after, and has been a faithful, honest
and obliging employee from that day.
4 His dealings with men of many nation
alities and characters has brought an
envious friendship of which many men
might be proud. Fearing that he
might do something, at some time,
that might be hypocritical, caused him
to be silent in Church work, but he
nevertheless lived, and died as he lived,
a Christian, and follower of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.
Walter j. Audas was born near Ma
ponset, Illinois on the eleventh
day of July 1851 and died in Gray
Audubon County, Iowa, Monday,
April 25th, 1911, leaving wife and
only one child, Elmer, the present
Postmaster of Gray. Loved by his
family. honored by his fellow-man and
revered by his lodges. Many friends
and relatives attended from distance.
The funeral was the largest that has
been in Gray for many years. Officiat-
ing Clergymen present were Rev.
Golden of Boone, Rev. Freedline of
Audubon, Rev. Hoosier OF Manning
and Rev. Arnold of Gray.
Surely Mrs. Audas is having trouble.
Within short period of time she has
been called upon to mourn the death
ola dear little granddaughter, Gladys
Gray, who suddenly passed away, last
summer, followed within few
months by the child's mother, Pearl
Audas-Gray, who was the pride of the
village only few short years ago and
by whose sad death Mrs. Audas has
become the sole provider and protector
of her four motherless children. And
now by the death of her own husband,
her cup of sorrow indeed seems full.
Walter was laid away Wednesday af-
ternoon in the Odd Fellows beautiful
Maple Grave Cemetery at Audubon,
largely attended by the organization
who conducted the services at the
interment. We loved him and we
urieye.