Mrs. Thos. Craven died at the farm home, seven miles south of town, of pneumonia last Thursday and the funeral, held last Saturday, was one of the largest ever held in the county at this time of year. Father O’Driscoll was assisted in the service by Father Buckley, of Benson and Father Carmody, of Omaha. Mrs. Craven was a daughter of Vital Coupal, of Benson, for many years a resident of Herman township. She was born Aug. 20, 1879, and was therefore but 37 years of age. She was married to Mr. Craven July 18th, 1906, and to them six children were born, the eldest but nine years of age. The death of a young wife and mother is always a sad one and the entire community sympathize with the bereaved husband and relatives.

#2-Published in the Blair Democrat January 11, 1917

Mrs. Thomas Craven died early this morning according to a telephone message received at the Democrat office. Pneumonia was the cause of death. Funeral service will be held from the Catholic Church next Saturday.

Mrs. Craven was the oldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Vital Coupal and was born and raised in Washington County. She leaves five children, the eldest about nice years of age, beside her husband to mourn her demise.

#3-Published in the Blair Democrat January 18, 1917

Mrs. Thomas Craven Buried in Blair Cemetery

St. Joseph Catholic Church was crowded Saturday morning with the friends of the late Mrs. Thomas Craven, who died at her home near Spiker on Thursday morning following a case of acute pneumonia.

Rev. Father O’Driscoll assisted by Rev. Father Buckley of Benson, and Rev. Father Carmody of the Sacred Heart Church of Omaha, held a solemn requiem high mass for the repose of the soul of the deceased.

Ernestine Coupal was born on August 20, 1879, in Grant Township, where she died and was the eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Vital Coupal. She was married to Thomas Craven, July 18, 1906. The deceased leaves a husband and six small children to mourn the loss of a devoted wife and loving mother, besides father, mother, two brother and three sisters.

The pallbearers were: George Calnon, Henry Peterson, Ernest Meier, J. King, Fred Grabbe and J. Ryan.

A large crowd of sympathizing friends followed the remains to its last resting place in Holy Cross Cemetery near Blair.

#4 –Published in the Tribune January 17, 1917

Mrs. Thomas Craven Passes Away

Mrs. Thomas Craven passed away last Thursday morning at her home almost eleven miles southwest of Herman.

The deceased was the eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Vital Coupal and to them who knew her she was held in the highest esteem.

She was born on the old home farm, where she died, on Aug. 20, 1879 and with the exception of three years spent on the old Craven farm directly following her marriage she had spent her entire life there.

She was married to Mr. Craven on July 18, 1906 and to this union six children were born, two boys and four girls, the oldest being a girl of nine years and the youngest child but fourteen months old.

It has been a very rare pleasure of the writer to know the deceased from girlhood up and well do we remember when as a pupil in school she was always among the first in her studies as well as the life of the play grounds. She was a bright, vivacious girl, full of life and with it all that could be asked of that ladylike quality that marked her. In her home life she was an ideal wife and mother.

In her first sickness she was taken with an attack of pleurisy that developed into pneumonia which caused her death.

The funeral services, conducted by Father O’Driscoll, were held on Saturday at the Catholic Church in this city and interment was made in the Blair Cemetery.

Left to mourn her are the grief stricken husband, the six little motherless children, her parents and brothers and sisters and every acquaintance extends to them their heartfelt sympathy.

Obituaries courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska. Note: Holy Cross Find a Grave Memorial # 129637370; name Ernestine; died 11 Jan 1917; buried Blk 19 Lot 5 Sp 3&4

Obituaries courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.

FindaGrave #129637370