Rev. Grover C. Aker

Rev. Grover Aker, son of Mrs. Jesse Osborn, of this city, died at Excelsior Spring, Mo., last Friday of pneumonia after a short illness. Mrs. Osborn went down to attend the funeral, which was held Sunday afternoon. Burial was under Masonic auspices. He leaves a wife and a little girl five, years old. He was born in North Carolina, July 17th, 1887, and was therefore just past 31 years old. He was a graduate of the high school being a very brilliant and promising student. He heard the call to the ministry and had already made good as a pastor. His many Blair friends deeply regret his early passing from this life and extend heartfelt sympathy to the wife and mother.

#2-Published in the Pilot November 20, 1918

Rev. Aker died at his home in this city last Friday morning, after being in poor health for about two years. The immediate cause of his death was pneumonia, contracted only a few days before his death.

Grover Aker was a Methodist minister, but he was more that that. He was a social dynamo. He was pastor of the Methodist Church in this city from 1912 until 1916 and during that time so thoroughly entrenched himself into the social life of the city that his assignment to a new pastorate came as a regret to both pastor and people. He was always intensely interested in the civic affairs of the city and took an active part in matter pertaining to the spiritual welfare. His interest was not limited wholly to the spiritual aspect except as human brotherhood let to things of a high nature.

His energies were best illustrated by his determination when a boy to secure his education. Losing his father by death when he was still young he was put on his own resources, but succeeded in graduating from Missouri State University, also having attended school at Tabor College in Iowa. His first pastorate was in a church in southern Missouri coming from Kansas City where he was the assistant pastor of the Grand Avenue Methodist Church, and came to Excelsior Springs in 1912. He was but 31 years of age when he died and is survived by his widow and little daughter, Winifred Jean.

He went to Lawson in 1916 but was compelled to give up preaching last year on account of ill health. He returned to Excelsior Springs in an effort to regain his health, never giving up hope of ultimate recover. Although an invalid for several months before his death, he had arranged to do private tutoring along special lines of study.

Mr. Aker was a popular member of fraternal societies, including the Masons and Woodmen, and in all his activities was ever an enthusiastic advocate of a high type of citizenship. He had no enemies but was a worthy antagonist of moral and social evils. People like Grover Aker because he was on the square.

Services in connection with his funeral were held on Sunday afternoon at the Methodist Churchy and were in charge of the pastor, Rev. F. J. Burton, assisted by Rev. John Paul Jesse of the Christian Church. The Knight Templars of the Masonic fraternity ceremonies at the grave. He was buried in Crown Hill.~~~Excelsior Springs Standard, Nov. 7

~~~Obituaries courtesy of the Washington Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file at the Blair Public Library.~~~