Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1918-04-17
IRASBURG
Continued from Page Four)

daughter, Mrs. Emily Brewster
Coates, whose death occurred this
week very unexpectedly to her
friends. This Vermont town was
Mrs. Coates birthplace, and it was
her request that she should be buried
there. This sad event follows by only
few weeks the sad trip taken by
herself when she accompanied the
body of her husband, George N.
Coates of Lewiston to Canada for
burial in his family lot. 1t was this
trip, taken when her own health was
impaired and her strength none too
great, that seemed to bring the end
all so unlocked for by those who
knew her.
Mrs. Coates was known among her
friends for many lovable and inter-
esting and noble traits of character.
Endowed with a mentality of unusual
brilliance, she was a natural scholar.
In school she advanced rapidly, fin
ishing her high school course, while
in Los Angeles, at the age of 16
years. She then attended normal
school in that California city and la
ter finished her normal school work in
Vermont after her family had return
ed East. She probably would have
CduSnC' HdU Sic uOC HldIIleu uI.
Coates at this time. Most of her
welded life was spent in Lewiston,
where Mr. Coates was in optical
work.
1t was after she became affected
some years ago with tubercular af-
lection and went into camp on the
heights at Livermore Falls that she
turned her alert mind to the study of
ornithology. This was an antidote
for worry and lonesomeness and she
threw herself into her bird-observa-
lions heart and soul. She became
thoroughly acquainted with the best
authorities on birds and knew the
literature of nature-lovers from AL
pha to Omega. Later at her home
on Phillips street in Lewiston, near
the river, she continued her observa-
tions under most favorable circum-
stances and her home was the rendez-
vous for other bird-students. She
knew and loved-as did everyone
the late Prof. Jonathan Y. Stanton
of Bates college, and kept in close
touch with his pathological lore.
She kept a private journal Of bird
life for this vicinity, which was min
utely accurate and replete with many
personal touches OF unusual interest.
In fact her work was so thorough in
this line that she became the official
reporter for the government on the
dates Of the spring and fall migra-
tions.
Her ambition was to do literary
work along nature-stUdy lines. She
had written some for periodicals but
for the most part had only begun to
develop this field having first accumu-
lated q great mass OF data from which
to work. Cut off at 81 years, Mrs
Coates passing seems indeed a trag-
edy, though viewed only from the
standpoint of what she might have
accomplished in this direction. Her
literary gifts were easily recognized
even in her conversation. She had g
happy way of phrasing things. There
was a charm to her story. spoken OF
written. She was gifted with wit
and humor.
Then there were personal traits
which compelled the admiration of all
who knew her-an indomitable
pluck and grit that surmounted al
obstacles, sustained her in the face
of sickness and knew no surrender
to encouragement or fear. Her cour-
age and strength in the recent i'll
ness and subsequent death of her
husband was almost suDerhuman-to
those who knew the tenderness Of the
ties that bound them together But
the strain seemed to be too much,
her malady suddenly developing into
what the doctors called tubercular
meningitis, and for the last few days
her mind had been clouded.
The funeral was held from the
home Of her parents, Mr.. and Mrs.
Brewster, on Beacon avenue, in Au-
burn, Wednesday afternoon, being
conducted by Rev. r. II. Brewster of
the High Street Methodist church.
Many friends were present, including
some from Portland and other places.
and the flowers were beautiful An
only brother, Perley Brewster, was
here from New Haven. Conn.
IRASBURG RED CROSS.
The meetings will be held Wednes-
day and Thursday Of the week at the
usual meeting places and a full at
tendance Of the women working for
the Red Cross is desired that the
president may report his trip to the
great convention at Boston and reveal
the plans for the coming year.
The vice president, Mrs. John Car
penter, will now have charge of the
branch and all communications should