Ozaukee Obituary Mary Burns Fagan

The Ellsworth News
Ellsworth, Nobles Co., MN
Thurs March 10, 1938

As briefly noted in our last issue, death came very unexpectedly last Friday morning, March 4th, removing another early day settler from the Ellsworth community when Mrs. G.W. Fagan answered the final summons. She had been ill with the flu for about two weeks previous, but not ill enough to cause any alarm, when pneumonia suddenly developed and in her weakened condition she was unable to fight the dread malady and this coupled with a weakened heart, brought about her death at 8:30 Friday morning, but not before she had received the last spiritual aids of her church.

The funeral took place Monday forenoon at 9:30 o'clock from Saint Mary's church, a Requiem Mass being said by pastor, Rev. Fr. J.S. Hale and internment was in Saint Mary`s cemetery. The pallbearers were close friends of the family: Charles Lenz, Francis Carey, Elmer Eagan, John Larkin, John Schweitzer, and Edmund Burke. Father Hale preached a sermon from the text "work for the night cometh when man works no more" and stressed the need for all to do the will of the Creator and to worship Him while in life and the positive assurance that all must die and the need to be prepared for the eventuality. He touched apon the good life of the deceased and the hard tasks of pioneer days. She lived in this community for 53 years - nearly as long as the town of Ellsworth has existed.

Her maiden name was Mary Burns and she was born June 24, 1859 at Cedarburg, Wisconsin; one of eleven children she was the last of her family. Growing to a young woman she was married in Cedarburg to Garret W. Fagan on August 12, 1885, and came at once to the farm 2 and 1/8 miles east of town which has since been her family home. Her husband had invested in the land in 1878 and two years later come out to live on it, going back five years later for his bride. Like many other pioneer women of that day, she went through many trials, braving the blizzards of winter, the cool climate of summer that made wheat raising profitable and which the tilling of the land replaced with warmer summer climate until corn became a profitable crop and wheat acreage was reduced as yields fell off, and other discouragements, but in the end things went well and the industrious family prospered.

To this union were born seven children, all whom with their father survive and mourn the loss of an usually good wife and mother. She was a woman of many virtues, good to her family and neighbors and to whomever chanced to need her help and encouragement. For the past few years her husband has been a invalid and she has given him constant care. She was ambitious for her children's future and the men and women she has reared are some of the finest monuments to her memory. The children are: Mrs. George Boyd (Anna) of Anaconda, Montana; Mrs. Wm. J. Marsh (Rose) of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Agnes of Little Falls, Minnesota; Robert of just northwest of the home place, and John, Eugene and Mary, at home. In the death of Mrs. Fagan this community has lost not only one of its sturdy pioneers but a woman of fine character and to her bereaved family the News voices deep regrets.