The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-01-25
IN MEMORIAM
From TUESDAYS Daily.

From Tuesdays Daily.
Mary Wager Willard, whose funeral
this afternoon was so largely attended
by relatives and friends, was born in
the town of Western Oneida county,
IN. Y, among the Westernville hills,
the home of the Wagers and Hallecks,
on the 10Th of November, 1876. Her
parents, not long after moved to the
town of Trenton and upon small
farm which they made famous for it's
fruits and flowers. She was their on
| ly child after the death of an older
brother while both were children. Her
father was descended from Elias Will
lard a Wethersfield, Conn. Yankee,
who with many others settled togeth-
er about her old home causing the
lneighborhood to be dubbed Wethers-
field Her mother was Catharine Hal
leck, sister of Henry Wager Halleck,
general in chief of all the armies of
| the United States during two of the
earlier years of the Civil war, 1924.
| In childhood she attended the dis
| trict school in 1.-THE old stone school
house." Wethersield, where her hus-8
band, descended from Wethersfield,
| Conn, Simon Willard) received his
learly education. Not being in robust
health, her parents soon changed and
| sent her to a select school at HOl-
| land Patent two miles from her home,
taught by Louise, an older sister of
Grover Cleveland, and Rose Elizabeth
Cleveland, for some time the rather
noted mistress of the White House,
when Grover was president. She was
much at the Cleveland home and has
told of many happenings there, and
among them of seeing young Grover
Ipracticing on doing up packages of
sand when expecting to go into a
store as clerk, and another incident of
how she and Rose and Grover used to
race up and down Steuben street
playing horse, alternating as driver
and horses.
She was the bosom friend of Julia
E. Knowlton, Mr.. Wizards first wife,
which doubtless was a strong factor
| in making her his second. For her old
friend dying left two motherless little
boys now well Known as C. w. Willard
and E. C. Willard. She came to Man
kato nearly forty years ago to become
| the devoted wife of Mr.. Willard and
the faithful and self-sacrificing moth
er of these little boys, and also of her
J own little Fannie and Julia, who died
| in their babyhood, and of Clara E.,
who is now teaching at Cambridge,
MINI.
| Mrs. Wizards mother had the larg-
est and most beautiful flower garden
in all Wethersfield, greatly admired
| by thousands who beheld it over the
old limestone wall in passing along
the high road in front of house and
garden And soon after coming to
Mankato she commenced to build a
similar one which was fairly well kept
up and cared for till the last. In an
eminent degree she was a lover OF
her home, never wishing to leave it
for long, and it is possible that her
| life would have been longer had she
been willing to relinquish it with its
many cares and labors, for new and
smaller one.
Until quite recently che gave con-
siderable attention to her church and
! Sunday school and societies connected
with them and greatly enjoyed their
modest, unassuming duties. Though
never a society woman, she always
much enjoyed calls and visits from
her neighbors as well as to return
them when she felt that she could
leave home. While Clara, her dearly
beloved daughter was ever on her
mind and heart, yet she was ever glad
to see and was much interested in
1.-THE boys" and their children and af-
fairs. Her sickness seems to date
/ from last June as the beginning of
her decline though some believe the
seeds of it were sown very many
years ago. Yet she would not hear
to visiting a physician till about last
THANKSGIVING, and then kept up with
very little complaint till after Christ
mas. Nor was she willing to go to
Emmanuel hospital till January II.
There she was very contented and
ipleased with her treatment. But on
, the 18th she submitted to an opera
|tion, which she said seemed her only
hope for prolonged life. While this
!, Iseemed successful it did not avail and
she passed away calmly on Sunday
, morning at 3:37 o'clock.
d Mrs. Willard said while at the hos
pital and before, as many beautiful
flowers and plants were brought in to
liner, that she never before knew she
had SO many friends. She was very
t appreciative of kindnesses shown her
, This was remarked upon by nurses al
J the hospital and was a characteristic
+ trait. Perhaps she will be best re-
membered in connection with her ole
, fashioned flower garden. Since hel
; death it seems that none nave though
e of her as of her real age by one OF
r two decades. Numbelless children
e have been made happy through thu
Y years by gifts of flowers from thi;
5 lgarden and hundreds of special oc
/ lcasions frightened by its flowers. /
e Iseems but yesterday that she wa:
e lseen amidst it's flowers with a youns
2 friend of hers, grown up from child
o hood as rear neighbor, with his in
e tended bride all picking bowers TO
: their wedding, to be followed i'm
k mediately by his enlistment and de
O lparture for the war. About her las
IS act of consciousness was listeninl
e with smile of pleasure to lette
lust received from this young soldie
e friend written from Camp Cody.
: L