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Show Death Claims Three Local People During Kmas Week "Mr tr nr tr Prominent County Educator Dies At Home Monday George William Decker, 82, prominent pro-minent educator and legislator of Iron County, died at his home Monday Mon-day afternoon of uremia, following an illness of five months duration. The fourth principal of the old Branch Normal schjool at Cedar cral terms as county superintendent College, he was active In educational education-al circles in the county for nearly half a century. He was born at Parowan on November No-vember 11, 1864, a son of Zachar-i;.'h Zachar-i;.'h Bruhn and Nancy Bean Decker, pioneer Iron county settlers. Following Fol-lowing his graduation from the University of Utah he taught in the Parowan public school for a number of years prior to coming to the State Normal In Cedar City in 1902 as instructor in science and biology. ' - ';!''" . ft V GEORGE W. DECKER In 1905 he was named principal of the Branch Normal serving until un-til 1913 when the school was made a branch of the state agricultural college. Prior to becoming head of the Branch Normal he served several sev-eral terms as cunty superintendent of schools and subsequent to that time he was a member of the county coun-ty school board for a number of years. He was a member of the citizens committee which established the first electric power plant here in about 1907, and was also active In promotion of the first municipal water system in Cedar City. He served as state representative from Iron county for one term in the early 20s while he was engaged in the fanning and livestock business busi-ness at Parowan. He married Orpha Bayles of Parowan Par-owan in 1886 and the couple have resided here and at Parowan since. Mr. Decker is survived by his widow, Cedar City; five sons and daughters, Mrs. O., L. Janson, Cedar City; Ivan Decker, Parowan; Vivian Vi-vian B. Decker, instructor at East high school in Salt Lake City; Mrs. P. H. Tingen, Las Vegas, Nevada; Nevada: 14 grandchildren and four Mrs. Gardello Orton, Boulder City, great - grandchildren; a brother, Joseph 'O. Decker, Parowan, and a sister, ft-s. Delia James, Oakland, California. .Funeral services were held In the Cedar First ward chnpcl Wednesday Wednes-day afternoon, with Bishop's Counsellor Coun-sellor James Heywood, presiding. Speakers were Parley Dalley, Wm. B. Adams, John 8. Woodbury and Wm. R. Palmer. Invocation was by Thomas H. Rowley of Parowan, and benediction by Dr. Wayne Driggs. The musical program included organ or-gan music by Mrs. Melba Sargent, Song, "Look, Look to the Comforter" by a double mixed quartet from Parowan; violin solo by R. L. Hal-versen, Hal-versen, accompanied by Frank Van Cott; song. "The Flower Land", by a double mixed quartet from Cedar City, a string trio by Bruce June and Marian Decker of Parowan, Paro-wan, grandchildren of the deceased; deceas-ed; and the closing song 'That Beautiful Country," by the Parowan quartet. n- -it- Mary Stephens Gower Passes Thursday; Services Held Sat. Funeral services were held Saturday Sat-urday afternoon In the First ward chapel for Mrs. Mary Stephens Go-wer,'76, Go-wer,'76, who died Thursday afternoon, after-noon, December 20th, following a long illness from a heart ailment. Born in Cedar City on June 18, 1870, a daughter of John and Elizabeth Eliza-beth Stephens, who settled in Cedar City after having came to Utah from Wales as converts to the Latter-day Saints church, she had been a resident of the community all her life. On November 17, 1389 she married David Steven Gower, who In 1903 was killed in a mine accident. Mrs. Gower, although left a widow wi-dow with a number of small children, child-ren, and later called upon to help read three grandchildren when their mother was widowed, found time to do much to help others, and was known to all her friends as a generous friend, who devoted her life to assisting others where-ever where-ever possible. Surviving Mrs. Gower are four daughters, Mrs. Beulah Stephens, Cedar City; Mrs. Sarah Ann Burton, Bur-ton, Glendale, California: Mrs. Elizabeth Eliz-abeth Edwards, Prescott, Arizona, and Mary Emma Green, Los Angeles, An-geles, California; a brother John L. Stephens, Cedar City, and two sisters, Mrs. Martha S. Chatterley, Cedar City, and Mrs. Margaret Jane Mackelprang, Kanab. Alro surviving are three grandsons and four granddaughters. The funeral services were conducted con-ducted by Bishop's Counsellor James Heywood, and included the following follow-ing program: Organ music by Mrs. Melba Sargent Sar-gent . lane. 1 Invocation by Wm.. C. Macfar-Vocal Macfar-Vocal solo, "I'm a Pilgrim", by Myles Walker, accompanied by Mrs. Melba Sargent. Talks by Dr. Jas. S. Prestwich,' Samuel B. Jones and Samuel F. Leigh. Vocal duet, "Whispering Hope", by Ray Cosslett and Wm. C. Mac-farlane, Mac-farlane, accompanied by Mrs. Beth Leigh. Benediction by Wm. B. Adams. Dedication of grave, by Darwin Condle. |
