Townsley - Mace - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

The funeral will be held from the parlors of the Elks’ Home at 2:30 o’clock tomorrow afternoon, Rev. CW Wharton of Center Presbyterian Church will officiate and an address will be delivered by Judge Jere West.  Mr. Townsley made a special request months before his death that if anything should happen to him that Judge West should make an address. The interment will be at Oak Hill cemetery.  Mace Townsley is dead. This announcement marks the passing of one of the best known men in Crawfordsville, one who had an extensive acquaintance in Montgomery and adjoining counties. Mason K. Townsley died at the Ben-Hur hospital on East Main Street at 11:15 o’clock last night from pneumonia from which he had been suffering for five days although the remote cause of his death was two attacks of influenza which he suffered last spring and which was followed in the fall by a stroke of facial paralysis. Following this, he worried a great deal about the state of his health and three weeks ago went to the Ben-Hur Hospital where hopes of his recovery were entertained until pneumonia set in, Then his vitality was not sufficient to combat the pneumonia germs.  Mace Townsley was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jere Townsley. He was born at Dayton, Ohio but came to this city with his parents when a young man and has resided here almost continuously since that time. He is the last member of the family and is only survived by two nieces and one nephew, children of the late Edward Townsley.  He was a carriage painter by trade and can be rated among the oldest business men in Crawfordsville.  For many years he was, with his father as a partner, the leading music firm of Crafordsville 25 years ago he took the management of Music Hall in which he continued until 9 years ago when he retired from active business life. Mr. Townsley was successful in his management of Music Hall, now the Strand and it was under his direction that the best known stars of the stage were seen in this city. Many of these made it a point to “make” Crawfordsville because of the good time that Mace was sure to arrange for them, more especially those fond of hunting and fishing for game was more abundant then than now. He was equally popular with the manager for Mace was “square” although he was not to be bulldozed and be conducted the house on strictly business principles at a time when many managers looked upon it as more or less of a sporting proposition.  He was never married and for the last 30 years of his life had followed the Jones family according as they assumed the management of various hotels in the city and traveling men considered him a part of the hotel management despite the face he was merely a guest.  Mr. Townsley was a member of Crawfordsville Lodge 483 BPOE and a member of Knights of Pythias.