SMITH – At her home in Blair on Friday, Jan. 13th, 1893, at 10 o’clock p.m., Mrs. Lola Finora? Smith, wife of Columbus B. Smith, aged 32 years, 3 months and 19 days.

For a number of years Mrs. Smith was afflicted with a tumor and the unexpected bursting of this and hemorrhage which followed accounts for her sudden death which shocked her large circle of friends. It was intended to have a surgical operation performed, but as no serious trouble had arisen from it, the operation was postponed. Wednesday she was feeling well and cheerful as usual, and walked up town during the day to do some shopping. She became unconscious and suffered intense pain after the eruption of the tumor, and did not recognize those nearest to her.

She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Rathbun, was born in Steuben County, Indiana, and was married to Mr. Smith in 1877. Two children, a boy and a girl are left motherless, and the bereaved husband has the sympathy of all in his affliction. Mrs. Smith was a devoted and dutiful wife and mother, and numbered all with whom she came in contact as her friends.

Her funeral was preached from the M.E. Church Sunday and her remains were buried in the Blair Cemetery.

#2-19 Jan, 1893 - The Pilot - Lola Elnora (Rathbun) Smith

DIED

SMITH - Lola Elnora, wife of Columbus B. Smith of this city, on Friday, Jan. 13th, at 10 o’clock p.m. , aged 32 years, 3 months and 19 days.

Mrs. Smith was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Rathbun of this place. She was born in Steuben county, Indiana, and was married to C. B. Smith in 1877. Besides her husband, she leaves two children, one a boy, 13 years of age, and the other a girl, 4 years of age.

The immediate cause of her death was the bursting of a blood tumor that has been troubling her for some years past, and though not thought to be serious or of an immediately dangerous character, arrangements had been some time perfected for an operation to remove it, but this had been deferred from time to time. On Wednesday preceding her death, she walked uptown and was in her usual health and spirits. This tumor seemed to have absorbed most of the blood in her body, and when without warning or apparent cause it became ruptured, the overflow of blood internally soon clouded her intelligence and in a comparatively few hours extinguished the vital spark. She was unconscious for some hours before death, and though husband and friends were summoned in haste, she knew them not. Mrs. Smith was a most estimable woman who commanded the esteem and friendship of all who knew her. The funeral was held from the M.E. church on Sunday.

Note: Lola was born 24 Sept. 1860. She is buried in Blair Cemetery, Blk 55, Lot 2, Grave 8.

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

Find a Grave Memorial #9921946