Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1911-12-01
THE PUTNEY COLUMN
Mrs. Reuben c. Winchester Dead.

Mrs. Reuben c. Winchester Dead.
:. sense of sorrow overcast the COM
munity Monday when it became gem
orally known that Mrs. Reuben c. Win
chester, so, of Holyoke had died the pre-
vious day. Mrs. Winchester was a
daughter of the late William a. and
Lucy Uamb) Cole. her father being for
many years proprietor of the Cole paper
mill in this town, and previous to her
marriage she was one of the active
young women of the place. She had
visited here many times since her mar
riage and had many friends in town.
The following notice of her death is
from the Holyoke correspondence of the
Springfield Republican of Monday:
Mrs. Mary Alice Cole wife of Reuben
c. Winchester, treasurer of the Holyoke
Water Power company, died early yes
terday morning of heart trouble, after a
few hours illness, at her home, 729 Hamp
den street Mrs Winchester was a
woman of rare tact and charm, and
helpful and influential in the church and
social life of the city. She was mem
Der and earnest worker for the High
lands Congregational church, and could
always be counted on for help in time of
trouble. She was good neighbor,
gracious hostess, a model wife, and won
and retained friendships with exceptional
ease. Highland life will not seem the
-
Winchester was born in Putney, VT,
April %, 1861, the daughter of William
A. Cole and Lucy Uamb) Cole. In 1876
the Cole family removed to HOlyoke,
where Mr.. Cole was manager for a few
years of the manila paper mill owned by
John Robertson of Putney VT. In April,
1880. the Cole family returned to Putney,
where, December % 1880, she was mar
ried to Reuben c. Winchester They
had three children Faustina and Ralph
dying in infancy, and Una, who married
Henry G. Warnock. She also leaves, be-
sides her husband one sister, Mrs. Fred
r. Pember of Kingston, r. L.
The funeral was held in theh ONE on
Hampden street Tuesday afternoon at 2.
Rev H. o. Hannum of the First Congre-
gatonal church officiated, assisted by DR..
Francis H. Rowley of Boston. The burial
The facts concerning Mrs. Wholesalers
death are these: She was returning
home from a bridge party Saturday even
ing and went on an earlier car than eX-
pected, thereby missing Mr.. Winchester,
who went to meet her At the door of
her home she was taken suddenly ILL., and
her screams were heard by her son-in-
law, Henry Warnock, who lives across
the street, and who Immediately rushed
to her assistance, together with several
of the neighbors. DR.. c.. A. Allen was
summoned but all medical assistance was
without avail, and she died early Sunday
morning.
In addition to an obituary notice the
Holyoke Transcript of Monday published
a half column editorial of which the fol-
lowing is a part: Those who knew Mrs.
Winchester best admired most the dis
play of character and courage with which
she faced illness. There were half a
dozen years of very great suffering, prob
ably more than that, about which people
did not know. The way she rose above
pain and tried to make those about her
obvious to her burden, was superb. Some
people step into invalidism out of suffer
ing but her dauntless spirit would not
admit such a condition. 1t was this higf
courage that made possible the compare
tive good health of the past year or two
and left her friends quite unprepared fol
the swift end Mrs. Winchester was
from her girlhood. strikingly handsome, G
woman to be noticed wherever she APP
peared Her life in Holyoke had been al:
most completely happy. The qualifying
term is used, because there were Sucl
lasting griefs as the loss of promlsint
children. But in the markedly fine de-
votion of her husband, the development
of her talented daughter and the comint
on of beautiful grandchildren, life was in
deed rich and increasingly so as the years
ripened Passing on, now, in middle life
her joy of living never more Keen o.
complete than at its last hour, there Il
the haunting feeling that she gave VI
much that ought to be extended ant
that those close to her are losing mucf
that ought to be spared