Asa Orren Maynard, aged about 43 years, died at his home in the eastern part of the city, Tuesday morning, Oct. 15, of Spanish influenza. He was a well known printer of the city and had worked in the various local offices at different times for several years and was well liked by all who knew him. It was a pitiful little funeral that was held in the home yard the same afternoon, because of the contagion none but the family and a few friends attended. The grief of the wife and mother of five helpless little children was beyond expression – too deep for tears. She was prostrated and unable to go to the cemetery. The children, the eldest less than ten years old are, John, Carrie, Curtis, Merrill, and the baby Leona are deprived of a father’s care – and he was a most indulgent father. On every hand one hears kind words spoken of Orrrie Maynard, and among them are always these: “He thought so much of his children”. The body was laid away at the summit of the hill in the cemetery, by the side of two of his baby boys. All kindness and consideration should be shown this stricken family because it is an unusually sad case. Besides his immediate family he leaves his mother, Mrs. J. E. Wilson, and sister, Eva, of Modale, Iowa, and grandmother, Mrs. Brown, of the same place, and two half brothers, Ben C. and George Maynard, of Blair.

#2=Pilot 16 Oct 1918

Asa Orin Maynard, who was known about town as “Spide,” was taken sick last Thursday while husking corn in the rain for John Rhoades. They feared it was influenza and John brought him home, where he rapidly grew worse, pneumonia settling in promptly. Monday night he was delirious and was with difficulty controlled. About 1 o’clock he began to grow weaker and death resulted at 8:45 yesterday morning. The funeral was held in the front yard at 4 the same afternoon, Elder Marcus Bilyue officiating. A choir of six voices sang two songs in the open air and the sad but simple service will long be remembered by those present. The wife was so exhausted from care of him the night before that she fainted during the service and had to be carried inside. Deceased was born at Modale, Ia., July 10th, 1876, and was therefore just past 42 years of age. He came to Blair with his father, the late B. C. Maynard, whose death occurred on Christmas eve a few years ago while living in this city, serving as foreman of the Pilot office. He was married to Miss Olive Bab in South Dakota nine years ago last June and seven children were born to them, two dying in infancy. The five children living are John, Carrie, Curtis, Merrill and Leona. Besides the wife he leaves his mother, Mrs. J. E. Wilson, and sister, Mrs. F. N. Moore, and grandmother, Mrs. A. W. Brown, all of Modale, Ia. Also, his stepmother, Mrs. B. C. Maynard and two half brothers, Benjamin and George Maynard. The passing of a father who leaves small children is always a sad event, but this is an especially sad case and the surviving wife and relatives have the sympathy of all who knew him and them.

#3-Pilot 16 Oct 1918

This has been a sad, strange day in the life of the writer, such a one as we hope will not soon occur again. Early this morning came the news of the death of Ora Maynard, a former employee of this office, and at 4 o’clock this afternoon we stood with others in the yard of his home and sang in the brief service held in his memory. The circumstances all combined to make this one of the saddest events we have ever witnessed, the passing of the father and provider for a wife and five small children. At 11 o’clock in Omaha was held the funeral of our old friend and pastor, Rev. J. Wallace Larkin, which we would like very much to have attended for we owed him much for the mental and spiritual uplift he brought to us at a formative period of life. Truly his work lives after him in the lives and hearts of many. During the morning the word came that the doctor had given up Mrs. Elee McManigal. At 2 o’clock we sang at the open air funeral of Menzo McMurtrie whose death also leaves a family of small children and is thus an especially sad one. At the funeral we learned that Rev. J. B. Williams had word that his daughter, Lots, was seriously ill of influenza in Lincoln and he left on the afternoon train to be near her. At 4 came the Maynard funeral we spoke of above. During the afternoon we were asked to sing at the funeral of Mrs. Thos. H. Scott at 2 o’clock tomorrow, whose death occurred at Hooper so suddenly. Later came the news of the death of Will Mencke, at Florence, son of Claus Mencke of this city. Towards evening a telegram came announcing the death of Frank Folden, a former Blair boy, at Des Moines, Ia., of influenza, leaving six small children. We went down to the afternoon train and the six boys who were to go to Lincoln for special training at the State University were waiting to go and many friends were there wishing them good luck as they were about to enter the service of our good Uncle Sam. The body of John Wentworth, whose death occurred at Camp Dodge on Sunday morning, was expected to arrive on the same train, but did not arrive. In the morning a special agent for the Aetna Life Insurance Co. came up from Omaha and we assisted him and H. B Taylor in fixing up the final papers for the payment of the insurance policy on the life of Rev. G. W. C. Taylor. At odd times during the day we wrote copy and assisted with the job work down stairs. After 6 o’clock Ralph Conkling came in to see if we knew whom they could get to represent them here in the selling of stock in a potash company. We had to leave him hurriedly to go to the train with the car to meet Miss Carrie Wiseman and Mrs. Alta Wainwright, who had been down to the funeral of Rev. J. Wallace Larkin. After supper we drove down to the Maynard home in the darkness to get the particulars about Mr. Maynard, taking them without the door on account of the danger of influenza. Here we are at the office writing this at 9:30 pretty well tired out at the end of a sad, strange day. The kind that makes one think of the great depths of love and the brevity of life, of the foolishness of wrong doing and the wisdom of right. Having and acting of the smallness and fells of the pretty deceits and sins of life, of the bigness of the plan of and Allwise Father of us all who alone really knows and fully understands.

#4=Pilot 16 Oct 1918

Card of Thanks: We wish in this way to express our sincere thanks to the neighbors and friends for their assistance and sympathy in our recent bereavement. We wish to thank those who sent flowers, the singers and pallbearers and all who so generously assisted at the funeral.

Mrs. O. A. Maynard, Mrs. J. E. Wilson