GRESSMIRE, Goldia Mildred-1909 - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

There perhaps has been no death ever occurred in this city that was received with more profound regrets and sincere sorrow than when the sad message was heralded Sunday morning that Miss Goldia Gressmire had passed to her reward. But few knew that she was ailing and still fewer knew that her condition was serious, so to the many it was a shock beyond description. Some time ago while visiting in the country, she fell from a horse heavily to the ground and at the time complained of its hurting her back. Returning home she often complained of her back and of severe pains in the back of her head, though a no time did she give it more than a passing notice. A week ago last Saturday night she went home telling her friends and parents that she was feeling very bad and took to her bed from which she never again arose. She continued to grow worse and her attending physician diagnosed the case as meningitis of a severe form. He called in consultation and all that medical skill could do, was done for her but it was of no avail as she soon began to show signs of paralysis and on Saturday her upper extremities were paralyzed. Together with this dreadful ailment she had a weak heart and the physicians realized that it was only a question of time until dissolution came and on Sunday morning as it entering a sweet sleep wholly unexpected even by her dear ones who were watching by her bedside she passed into that reward eternal. Goldia Mildred, the second daughter of James and Sarah Gressmire, was born in Veedersburg, Ind., on the 11th day of March 1888 and died in the town of her birth on the 29th day of August, 1909 at the age of 21 years, 5 months and 18 days. She graduated from the V. H. S. with the class of '08 and prepared herself for the vocation of school teacher, taking two terms of special training in the State Normal school at Terre Haute. She was successful in securing license to teach and was employed for the coming term at the Dice school. In the month of March 1901, during a series of evangelistic meetings held by J. V. Coombs, Goldia confessed her faith in Christ, was buried with Him in baptism and rose to walk with Him in newness of life. Her lovable sunny nature endeared her to all who knew her. Her energy and heroic qualities won for her the admiration of the community and her zeal and loyalty to the cause of the Master marked her as a leader in S. S. and church, in its…….. Each member of the Christian church feels her death to be a personal loss, but they thank God for the blessed privelege of presenting her sweet and beautiful spirit to our Divine Lord. The surviving members of her family are her father and mother and sister Edith, while a legion of friends mourn with them. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. O. E. Kelly assisted by Rev. O. W. McGaughey in the U. B. church at two o’clock Tuesday afternoon and was attended by one of the largest assemblies of people ever present at similiar exercises in this city, a fitting and deserving trfbute to the high esteem in which the deceased was held. Ten young men of the city were flower bearers, while Misses Maggie Day, Lena Dice; Della, Reichard, Myrtle Ansberry, Edith Bales and Elizabeth Boggs were the pall bearers. Her Sunday school class, Zeb E. Booe teacher, composed of twenty-five young ladies marched with the procession. It was indeed a sad funeral, even the strong young men shed the tears of respect for the purity of the life that had gone. The floral offerings were the most beautiful that have been seen here for years, and in fact the touch of respect, the mark of esteem was ideal thought that a good life is even beautiful in death, when none can deny that it was so lived that there is absolute