Susanna L Gurley

DEATH OF A PIONEER MOTHER

Mr. J. M. Gurley Closes Most Eventful Life at Age of Over 87

The funeral services for the late Mrs. J. M. Gurley who passed away at the family home 4 1/2 miles northwest of Barnard, Saturday night, Dec. 23, 1934, at 11 o'clock, at the age of 87 years, 6 months and 23 days, were held at the family home Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock, conducted by Rev. R.J. Johnson, pastor of the Barnard Baptist church.

Burial was made in the Saltville cemetery. Mrs. Wm. Tice of Beloit sang three very beautiful songs at the funeral service. The floral offerings were many and beautiful, some of them coming from considerable distances.

The pallbearers were: JC. Kaul, Elza Babcock, Fred Simmons, Kyle Simmons, Homer Abercrombie and Arch Brockway.

Susanna Levisa Simmons was born in Lumpkin County, Ga., near Dahlonega, on May 30, 1852 and lived there all through her girlhood days. She was married in early life to Jas. M. Gurley of Gaddistown, GA., and there were born to this union five sons and one daughter; J. Marion Gurley of Florence, Colo.; the late Geo. A. Gurley of Kansas City, Mo; Sarah, wife of W.W. Evans of Barnard; Herman S. Gurley of Blackwell, Okla.; Ben Gurley of Salina and Alexander H. Gurley of Barnard.

After a trip to Portland, Oregon, and a temporary residence there, the family moved to Camden Point, Mo., in 1881 where they lived until March 1886, when they moved to Mitchell County, Kansas, location 4 1/2 miles northwest of Barnard, moving into the present home in 1892, where they lived ever since. The husband and father passed to his reward in July 1914.

Of her family there survive four of the sons and the daughter, thirteen grandchildren, three others having died in infancy, and four great grandchildren. There are still living of her own father's family three brothers and three sisters and their famlies also the wife and children of her brother, W. H. Simmons, of whom the following are mentioned: J.P. Simmons of Hutchinson, E.B. and Avery Simmons of Barnard, Mrs. Rachel Mcdonald of Concordia, Mrs. Martha Borgen of Asherville and Mrs. Emma Kaul of barnard.

Mother Gurley became a Christian in her early teens and lived a quiet, consistent Christian life up to the time of her deparature in death. She was a member of the Barnard Baptist church from the time of its re-organization from the old community Baptist church extending far back into the pioneer days of the Barnard community.

She was a great mother and home builder, loved her family in a most wonderufl manner and was a considerate, kind and helpful neighbor. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Mother Gurley has gone from us, that is, her spirit has gone to be with the Lord, and her frail body has been laid away in the neighborhood cemetery, but her long, kindly life of many little ministries will abide for long, and she wlll be a very real personality in this community to all who knew her. So we will not say goodbye for we will expect to see her in the glory-world soon.

There were present at the funeral servics from outside the Barnard community: Rev. and Mrs. J.M. Gurley; Mrs. Geo. A. Gurley and Geo. Hammond Gurley of Kansas City; Mr. and Mrs. H. S. Gurley (their whole family would have been present but for the snow storm); Wm. Evans of Topeka; Mr. and Mrs. Ben Gurley and daughters, Mary Lousie and husband, Dick Roderberger, and Julia, all of Salina; Mrs. Howard Evans of Albuquerque, N. M.; Geo. Simmons of Topeka; J.P. Simmons of Hutchinson; Rex Borgen of Asherville; Henry Chastain of Ada and Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Tice of Beloit.

All the members of the family join the undersigned in thanking the friends and neighbors of Barnard and community for their many kindnesses and ternder ministries, also for the many beautiful floral offernings.

     Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Gurley

Obituary taken from "The Squire Simmons Family, 1746-1986" genealogy by Dorothy Geneva Simmons Skelton

• Updated from Find A Grave Memorial via sister Nancy Louella Kaul (born Simmons) by SmartCopy: Dec 16 2014, 23:21:05 UTC