OCR Text |
Show IrT EAT H ENDS ILIFE MARKED BY SERVICE Mrs. AKhea S. Gregerson Died Here Friday; Funeral Fune-ral Held Saturday; Story cf Career told by Daughter Althea S. Gregerson, widow o( Andrew F. Gregerson. died at her home here on Friday. March 10, of heart trouble. She had been ailing for several months. Surviving are the following sons and daughters: Mrs. E. B.' Snow, Mrs. Guy Hafen and Arthur Ar-thur Gregerson, St. George;; Andrew An-drew Gregerson, Bellevue; Dr. Grant Gregerson and Mrs. E. H. Christensen, Salt Lake City, and Mrs. Arnold Thompson of Ro-lapp, Ro-lapp, also thirty-six grandchildren and five great grandchildren, a sister, Mrs. Lovina Berry and a brother, Joseph Sylvester. Funeral services were held on Saturday afternoon in the St. George tabernacle under the direction di-rection of Bishop Harold S. Snow of the South ward, opening open-ing with a song by a quartet composed of Mrs. Earl Cannon, Miss Ruth Allen, W. A. Whitehead White-head and O. P. Miles. The invocation was by John T. Woodbury, Jr. Speakers were David McMul-lin, McMul-lin, Pres. Jos. K. Nicholes, Bishop Bish-op A. K. Hafen and George Worth Wor-th en. Poetical sentiments were read by Miss Mabel Jarvis. Other musical numbers consisted con-sisted of a duet by Miss Ruth Allen and Mr. Miles; solo, Dil-worth Dil-worth Snow; and a song by the quartet. Benediction was by Brigham. Jarvis, and the grave in the cemetery was dedicated by James McArthur. Beautiful floral offerings sent from all parts of the state, decorated dec-orated the stand, and were placed plac-ed upon the grave. The story of her life, as written writ-ten by a daughter, Mrs. Guy Hafen, follows: Althea, Sylvester Gregerson was born March 10, 1859, in Springville. Her girlhood was spent in Gunnison where her father built a comfortable home near the old mill site which was swept away by floods. Later he helped to build the Gunnison fort and inside made a home for his family. The Black Hawk war was raging at that time, and in later years Mrs. Gregerson has related her experiences of dangers dan-gers and hardships during that period. The Sylvester family was called call-ed to Dixie in 186S and settled in what was known as Bellevue, and again made beautiful their surroundings with flowers and vineyards. Culture and refinement refine-ment brought by the parents from England, where they had been singers in the Methodist church, were instilled in the children. Both were educated in arts and trades, and, they tried hard to give an education to their children. At the age of 15 years, Mrs. Gregerson was sent to St. George to be taught by James Bleak. This opened up a new world for her for all her life she was a student and a great reader. She had a wonderful knowledge of books, and always ! kept up with the events of the I day. As a true pioneer daughter, j she learned the value of land, and to love it. She learned th. secret of dyeing clothing with native herbs, spinning and weaving, weav-ing, and various other simple trades required by every home-maker home-maker of the day. When she was twenty years of age she was married to An-Andrew An-Andrew F. Gregerson, and to this union was born ten children, six sons and four daughters. Two of the children died in infancy. in-fancy. Through their .great love of education, the parents' desire was to educate their family, and they worked and sacrificed to send them avay to school. The first three attended the B. A. C. at Cedar City, n.ey bought a home in St. George and spent winters here. Five of the family graduated from the Dixie high school, three received normal certificates cer-tificates at Dixie College, one graduated from the law school of the University of Utah, and another graduated from a dental college at Denver. Much of her early life was spent at Bellevue. In the days before the automobile and improved im-proved highways, this place was a natural stopping place, and people of all stages of life stopped stop-ped with her. It seemed to be a "house by the side of the road", where all were welcomed, and many were the times when a frozen hand or foot was cared for or wounds dressed. Even cases of pneumonia and other sickness were nursed there. Many everlasting ever-lasting friendships were formed in that isolated region. A cottage Sunday school was held at her home. Mr. Gregerson Greger-son was made presiding elder of the district, but he was away much of the time, and his wife realized the necessity of this--training for her own children as well as for others, and conducted con-ducted the school by herself for years. This instilled in the hearts of the children not only religion, but the ideals of their mother. The latter part of Mrs. Greger-son's Greger-son's lifp was spent in St. George. He-re she worked in the Primary. She believed In her religion re-ligion and lived it, -paying an honest tithing and donating freely to charity. She was calm, self-po.ve'sed and cheerful, even in her last days. She was characterized char-acterized by a pride that bespoke self-confidence. She was a great reader and kept young in thought and considerate of the ideas of young people, whom she loved and enjoyed having with ber. |