Arlington’s eldest lady passed away at the age of 97 years and eighteen days. She was Mrs. Emily H. Fagg. Mrs. Fagg died at the Dodge County Hospital on Saturday, April 25 following a short illness. Mrs. Fagg was the City of Arlington’s eldest citizen and was the 1969 Arlington Centennial Queen. Mrs. Fagg was a member of a pioneer Washington County farming family and lived her entire life in the Arlington area.

Mrs. Fagg was born on April 7, 1873, to Mr. and Mrs. John James and Hannah H. Thompson. She was married to Charles L. Fagg on August 19, 1891. To this union there were four children. They are Bessie E., Thomas M., Hazel and Evelyn, who have passed away before Mrs. Fagg.

There are four surviving grandchildren. They are Mrs. Betty Nischke, Northbrook, Illinois; Charles C. Christiansen, East Brunswick, New Jersey; Evelyn French, New York City and James T. Keenan, Arlington, Nebraska. There are also nine great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

Services were at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28 at the Arlington Community Church, Arlington, Nebraska. Rev. Leo Zillig officiated with Reckmeyer Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

Pallbearers were Vernon Thomson, Leonard Thompson, Loren Masters, Richard Melvard, Elwood Dortch and Albert Nischke.

Interment was in the Arlington Cemetery.

#2-Published in the Enterprise April 10, 1969

Mrs. Emily Fagg Like Walking At Age of 96

It was the day after Easter and Mrs. Emily Fagg walked up town to buy a few groceries and pay some bills. It was April 7th and she was observing her 96th birthday.

Mrs. Fagg was born on April 7th, 1973 on a farm north of Arlington where Duane Thompson now lives. Mrs. Fagg’s father John Thompson, came to the place in 1868.

Mrs. Fagg remembers walking to Arlington as a child. She walked a path across the prairie down the Bell Creek Valley. After a man had been gored to death by a bull Mrs. Fagg said they would walk one mile east to a road and then come across the Bell Creek bridge into Arlington.

Mrs. Fagg still likes to walk. Quite often she still walks all the way across Arlington to visit. At the age of 70 Mrs. Fagg was still stacking hay with a pitch fork. At the age of 79 she broke a hip but has now recovered and is able to get around very well.

Mrs. Fagg now lives alone in a trailer house in Arlington.

Mrs. Fagg was married to Charles L. Fagg on August 19, 1891 at Blair, Nebraska. The coupled had four children. They were Hazel Christensen, Evelyn Keenan, Bessie and Thomas. All of her children have passed away. Mrs. Fagg commented that “All my friends are gone now. I guess I’ll just have to make new ones.”

Mrs. Fagg has four grandchildren. They are Mrs. Betty Nischke of Chicago, Illinois; Charles Christensen of New Jersey; Mrs. Evelyn French of New York and Jim Keenan of Arlington.

There are nine great-grandchildren, Mrs. Fagg has one living brother, John Thompson of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Pictured above is Mrs. Fagg with her eight month old great-grandchild, Karleen Evelyn Keenan.