Obituaries

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 20, 1906

CYPHERS.—Died at her home at Greenville, Mich., Nov. 16, 1906, of cancer of the stomach, Sister Martha C. Cyphers, wife of Melville B. Cyphers, aged 72 years, 5 months, and 27 days. She well remembered the great advent movement of the years of 1843 and 1844. After reaching more mature years, and reading the prophetic outlines from the pen of Wm. Miller, she came to believe in a soon-coming Saviour. Later she accepted the light on the Sabbath and kindred truths. During the last year of her life, she dwelt much upon the clearness and certainty of these truths. She was church clerk and treasurer, and librarian of the tract society, and here, as well as in her home, she will be greatly missed. The leading thought of the remarks at the funeral service is found in 1 Cor. 15:26. E. VAN DEUSEN.

JOHNSON.—Died at the home of her parents, nine miles west of Bluffton, Ind., Nov. 24, 1906, of malnutrition, Vera Mable, youngest daughter of Glessner and Rachel Johnson, aged 2 years and 9 days. This was the first time their large family circle was broken, but they hope soon to be an unbroken family in the kingdom of God. Funeral service was conducted by the writer. J. E. DUNN.

TAWNEY.—Died at his home in Adel, Iowa, Nov. 16, 1906, Henry Tawney. He was born in Maryland, Jan. 17, 1812, and in his early life was a member of the Methodist Church. About thirty-four years ago he united with the Adventist church of this place, of which he was a member at the time of his death. Like a shock of grain, fully ripe, he laid down his life, with the blessed hope of renewing it again when the Life-giver comes. His wife and five children mourn their loss. W. A. MCKIRREN.

COURSEN.—Died at the home of her parents, Oct. 24, 1906, of acute indigestion, Ethel Viola, daughter of Brother and Sister George Coursen, aged 5 months and 10 days. Though feeling keenly their loss, the parents are sustained by the hope of Him who brought life and resurrection from the dead through the gospel, and believe they will again meet their little one. Elder K. C. Russell and the writer conducted a short service, and the next day the remains were taken to Vineland, N. J., for interment. B. G. WILKINSON.

BAIN.—Died at the home of her sister, Minerva Goodall, at Battle Creek, Mich., Nov. 22, 1906, Sister Maria (McBeth) Bain, aged sixty-seven years. She embraced the faith of Seventh-day Adventists, at the Grand Rapids (Mich.) camp-meeting in 1886. She served as a nurse at the sanitarium in Battle Creek, Mich., for a number of years. She was nearly helpless the past three years, and suffered greatly, but she patiently endured to the end, and she died in the triumphs of Christian faith. Three sons, one brother, and two sisters survive her. Funeral service was conducted by the writer. L. McCOY.

STARR.—Killed instantly by a falling tree, in a violent storm near Forest, Idaho, Nov. 15, 1906, Charity M. Starr and Otelia Starr, while on their way to school. Charity May Redwine was born in Indianapolis, Ind., Dec. 11, 1889, and was now contemplating her seventeenth birthday, to occur in a few days. Fourteen years ago it became our privilege to receive this darling as a member of our family. Otelia Isabel Yates was born in Florida, May 9, 1893, being now in her fourteenth year. Nearly ten years ago we gladly took this little orphan into our home to become a foster-sister to Charity. As our labors have called us to reside in various States, these girls have become quite well known to many of our people in Michigan, Indiana, Tennessee, Ontario, South Dakota, Washington, and Idaho. We have tried to bring them up in the right way. Charity was baptized while a student at Walla Walla College, and Otelia a little later at the Moscow (Idaho) camp-meeting, in June, 1905. The girls always took part in family worship. Our treasures were laid side by side in one casket, and, like Sarah of old, were the first to be located in a new burial place, selected for the neighborhood, beneath the spreading branches of the fir and the pine. The hope of their waking together in the resurrection morn is worth more than all the treasures of earth. “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord,” was the text at the funeral, and is the language of our hearts. No. 962, “Hymns and Tunes,” was sung as a very appropriate lesson for the occasion. Archie Ladd, son of a neighbor, a youth of about fifteen years, was also killed by the same falling tree, and his sister, eleven years old, nearly killed. Archie was a praying boy who loved to read the Bible, and tried to live a Christian life to the best of his knowledge. We are very thankful that we have heard of the patience and experience of Job, and like him may know that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. F. D. STARR.

RANDOLPH.—Died at her home near Savoy, Tex., Oct. 29, 1906, of swamp fever, Mrs. Amy Daisy Randolph, aged 33 years and 12 days. She accepted present truth at the Cleburne (Tex.) camp-meeting in 1901. She died in hope of the first resurrection. She leaves a husband and four small children to mourn their loss. Words of comfort were spoken at the grave by Mr. Reaves, a Christian minister. J. I. TAYLOR.

LANGDON.—Died at the home of her sister, Mrs. R. M. Robbins, at East Canaan, Conn., Nov. 20, 1906, Mrs. Phoebe Langdon, mother of our former president, Elder G. E. Langdon. Sister Langdon was born in 1832, was reared in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and about thirty years ago embraced the truths of the third angel’s message, and since then has been a consistent member of the East Canaan church. For some time past she had been failing in health. Nerve exhaustion, resultant from old age, was followed October 30 by a slight paralytic shock. From this time she gradually failed. Just before her death she said, “I am all ready to go when the call shall come.” Her faith, hope, and confidence in her Saviour were strong. Sister Langdon’s husband died two years ago, and she leaves, besides Elder Langdon, who is now president of the Upper Columbia Conference, two other children, two grandchildren, and a large number of friends and relatives to mourn their loss. The funeral service was conducted by the writer. W. A. WESTWORTH.

GLENN.—Died at his home in Mountain View, Cal., of pneumonia, Dec. 1, 1906, William Newton Glenn, aged 69 years, 7 months, and 8 days. The deceased was born at Mercer, Pa., April 23, 1837. He received a good common school and academic education. When quite young, he went West, and was a frontiersman in Kansas, Nebraska, and surrounding territory for some years, where he kept frontier store and learned the printer’s trade. He worked at his trade for a while in Carson City, Nev., and during the Civil War came to California, responded to next to the last call that was made by President Lincoln for troops, enlisted for three years, and served until the close of the war, about two years. During this time his regiment was not called into active service, but was retained at the Presidio, San Francisco, in order to be on duty at that important point. During his service he taught the Presidio school and kept the commissary’s books. Soon after his discharge he was converted and joined the Baptist church in Stockton. Here he was married to Miss Victoria Elizabeth Tripp, July 10, 1866, which union has been blessed by nine children, five of whom are living to mourn their loss. About this time he threw himself into newspaper work, connected with the Stockton Independent and the Stockton Herald, remaining with the latter several years. His health failing, he spent one year on a ranch, where he first learned of present truth, which was accepted by himself and his wife in 1875. In February, 1876, he connected with the Pacific Press in Oakland, where he remained until his death, a period of nearly thirty years, being the oldest employee in connection with the publishing house. During the time he has been here, he has acted as proof-reader, foreman of the type room, manager, editor. For twelve years he was editor of Our Little Friend, and for many years has been connected with The Signs of the Times as associate editor, a most willing worker and genial companion. It mattered not what it was he was asked to do, if it came within his power at all, he was ever willing. He was also ordained as a minister, but his burden lay in connection with the office of publication. The readers of the Signs will remember him best by the trenchant articles on religious liberty. He understood the principles of it most thoroughly, and wrote not only for our own publications, but for the secular journals as well. He was also the author of several tracts and “Things Foretold.” He was taken with a severe chill Sabbath, November 24, just before going to church, where he was acting as leading elder. This rapidly developed into pneumonia. At the end of one week the power of the disease seemed to have been broken, and his temperature fell to normal, but his heart was too weak to throw off the poisons engendered by the disease, and acute jaundice set in. He died Sabbath, December 1, in the closing hours of the day. From the first, he seemed to feel that the disease would prove fatal, and so expressed himself to others. The writer saw him about an hour before his death. He was then hopeful, knowing that he was going to die. It was a real privilege to kneel by his bedside in prayer, and to hear the response from one with whom he had held so many seasons of pleading with God. Literally he has fallen asleep at his post; none more faithful to their work than he, none more willing to do. The Pacific Press will feel the loss, and especially the editorial staff of The Signs of the Times, but we do not mourn for him. He rests in the Lord, and we are sure he will come forth when the Master shall call, in the first resurrection. The funeral was held from the Baptist church, and he was interred in Oakland, where others of his loved ones rest. The following resolution was passed by the board of directors of the Pacific Press, at a special meeting called after his death:—

“Whereas, The hand of death has been laid upon one of our faithful burden-bearers and fellow laborers, Brother William Newton Glenn, the oldest employee of the office, serving as foreman, proof-reader, manager, director, and for many years editor of Our Little Friend and associate editor of The Signs of the Times, who fell asleep Sabbath, December 1, in his seventieth year; therefore,— “Resolved, That we the Board of Directors of the Pacific Press hereby express our unqualified appreciation of his faithful labors and genial companionship and Christian brotherhood, and that we express to his bereaved widow and children our heartfelt sympathy in this their great loss.” M. C. WILCOX.

WRIGHT.—Died in Mountain View, Cal., Oct. 17, 1906, of old age, Reuben Wright, aged 87 years and 21 days. Brother Wright was born in Hubbardston, Mass., and when but comparatively young, became a general trader in Texas and the Indian Territory, where he accumulated considerable wealth for those days. For many years he was a member of the Baptist Church, and provided the salary of a minister of that faith while in foreign missionary work. In 1882, while passing through Pennsylvania, he was led to attend a Seventh-day Adventist camp-meeting, where he heard Elder Geo. I. Butler preach. The following two years, while studying the truth further, he observed the Sabbath without letting it be publicly known. After that, however, he was quite zealous in his advocacy of the truth, and very free in giving financial help as needed, where he could do so without drawing attention to himself. In his frequent visits to Washington, D. C., he conceived a burden for the message to be proclaimed there, and freely gave of his means for the establishment of a mission in that city. When the writer was called there to follow up the work thus started, he said that the location of that place as the capital of the United States demanded that the printed message should emanate from there, in order to meet the needs of both North and South. He therefore proposed to purchase a large printing establishment then for sale in that city, if I would co-operate in the publication of a weekly paper there. In his last days, however, he was penniless, and some time before his death came to our home for a sheltering haven. He soon became as helpless as an infant, but through all his wearisome days and nights while hovering between life and death, his uniform patience and heavenly conversation were a beautiful lesson to all about him. We are indeed glad for the privilege of caring for him through his last hours. A brief funeral service was conducted by Elder M. C. Wilcox at our home. J. O. CORLISS.