Obituaries

We now have over 7,000 obituaries collected about the interred here at Silverbrook Cemetery.

The obituaries are transcribed by the volunteers of the Friends of Silverbrook Cemetery from various sources.  If you see an opportunity for an addition or a correction, please email our obituary editor at obits@friendsofsilverbrook.org.

Young, Elnora C. (Couchman)

Elnora C. Young
June 1, 1921-Nov. 22, 2004


Niles Daily Star, Friday, November 26, 2004, page 2, col. 2, microfilm Niles District Library

The funeral services for Elnora C. Young, 83, of Century Oak Place, Palm Coast, Fla., are 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30, at Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles, by the Rev. Dr. Ronald H. Wakeman of First Presbyterian Church.

Young died Monday, Nov. 22, at Grand Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center, Palm Coast, Fla., following an extended illness.

Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery, Niles.

Young was born June 1, 1921, in Three Oaks.

On June 28, 1947, in Niles, she married Robert Louis Young, who preceded her in death.

She attended school in Three Oaks and Niles, graduating in 1938. Young also attended South Bend College of Commerce and DePaul University, Chicago.

As a young mother, she volunteered as a Leader of the Happy Three 4-H Club,and at the Berrien County Youth Fair.

Young had been employed by Niles Community Schools, retiring in 1986.

In retirement, she co-owned Plaza Antique Boutique, Lakeside.

She was a Veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Women's Army Corps. She was assigned to McArthur's Headquarters in the first women's contingent serving in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater for which she received several decorations and campaign ribbons.

Mrs. Young was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Niles, and Westminster Presbyterian Church, Vero Beach, Fla.  She was a Charter Member of "The Women's Memorial", Washington, D.B., [sic] and was a member of Chicago Chapter No. 1, WAC Veterans, American Legion Post No. 204, Three Oaks and the National Rifle Assocation.

She was also a member of one of Niles' oldest clubs, the Ill-a-He-Til-a-Kum, and of the Buchanan Garden Club.

She lived on Chicago Road, Niles, for many years, and lived in Florida since 2001.

Survivors include, two daughters, Jane Hotesse of Duluth, Minn. and Mary Ellen Stahl of Palm Coast, Fla.; one son, John Young of Bangor; two grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Young was also preceded in death by one brother, Randall Couchman.

Full Military Honors will follow the committal Tuesday, at the graveside by American Legal Post No. 51, Buchanan.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Foundation of First Presbyterian Church, Niles.

 

Younger Infant

Infant Daughter Younger
Sept. 1, 1956


Niles Daily Star, Tuesday, September 4, 1956, page 2, col. 4, microfilm Niles District Library

Services Held

Prayer services were held at 3 p.m. today in the Pifer Funeral Home for the infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Younger, 407 North Fifth Street, who was stillborn Saturday at Pawating Hospital. The Rev. Ray McCoy, pastor of the First Baptist Church, officiated and burial was in Silverbrook Cemetery. Surviving besides the parents are the grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Truman Younger, of Hartford, Mich.,and Mr.and Mrs. Harrison Valance, of Delaplaine, Ark.

Zimmerman, Elizabeth

Elizabeth Zimmerman
May 26, 1874-Sept. 2, 1956


Niles Daily Star, Tuesday, September 4, 1956, page 2, col. 4, microfilm Niles District Library

Mrs. Elizabeth Zimmerman, 82, of Miami, Fla., formerly of Niles, died at 12:15 a.m. Sunday in a Miami hospital following an extended period of poor health.

Mrs. Zimmerman was born May 26, 1874, in Buchanan and had lived most of her lifetime in this community. Her husband, Ernest M., died in 1949. Surviving are: a son, Albert of Miami, Fla.; . .[illegible]. .and Arthur Schrumpf, both of Niles, and a sister, Mrs. Ida Fiedler, of Edwardsburg.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Pifer Funeral Home with the Rev. Herbert Meussling, Pastor of St. John's Evangelical and Reformed Church, officiating. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call at the the Funeral Home Wednesday evening.

 

Cuddeback, Roscoe L.

Roscoe L. Cuddeback
April 17, 1890-Nov. 27, 1970


Niles Daily Star, Saturday, November 28, 1970, page 2, col. 5, microfilm Niles District Library

DAYTON, Ohio--Former Niles resident Roscoe L. Cuddeback, 80, died Friday morning in St. Elizabeth's Hospital. Funeral arrangements are being completed at the Pifer Funeral Home. The family said they expect the funeral will be Monday.

mrs. Cuddeback is survived by his wife, Faye, Miamisburg, Ohio; and a daughter, Florence Irene Cuddeback, Niles, and a son, John, Long Island, N.Y.; a sister, Marian Hungerford, Marcellus, and two step-daughters.

 

Eddy, Alfred

Rev. Dr. Alfred Eddy
March 1, 1815-March 5, 1883


Niles Mirror, Wednesday, March 6, 1883, page 3, col. 2-3, microfilm Niles District Library

DEATH OF DR. A. EDDY

 

It becomes our painful duty to announce that Dr. Alfred Eddy, the able , eloquent and most beloved pastor of the Presbyterian Church of this city, sank into the arms of the Redeemer he had so long and so faithfully served, at 8:10 o'clock on Monday morning last. Dr. Eddy was a son of the Hon. David Eddy, and was born in Marion, Wayne county, N.Y., March 1st, 1815.

He was licensed to preach in 1835 by the Congregational Association of Genessee county. His first settlement was in his native township, where he preached three years.  In 1837 he accepted a call to Balona, N.Y., where he remained ten years.  Owing to failing health he resigned his charge and in 1849 removed to Beloit, Wisconsin, where he organized a Presbyterian church and remained till 1855, when he removed to Bloomington, Illinois.  Here he remained until 1863, when he accepted a call to Olivet Church, Chicago.  After two years' labor he organized the Ninth Presbyterian Church, where he preached until his call to the Niles church in 1871, where he has since labored.

No man ever filled the pulpit in Niles with more satisfaction than he who has just left us; and no man ever gained the confidence and love of all more than he.  In sickness he was ever ready to soothe the pains and administer to the wants of both soul and body.  In death his sympathy for the afflicted, his kind words, calmed the broken-hearted, and he taught them to lean upon Him for support whom he so much loved.  He was a wonderful lover of the human family, full of sympathy for those who were fallen, and he was ever ready to assist them. He was a great lover of nature and the works of God, the flowers of every hue, which he would paint with thrilling eloquence.  He set a noble example of charity and good will toward all.  He adorned his noble calling and wherever he moved there was power in and around him that marked him, as an honest, and honorable man--the noblest work of God. The church will miss him, society will miss him, the poor will shed tears of sorrow over his remains. But most of all, that devoted companion of 40 years will miss his kind hand and warm heart, and that family of one son and five daughters, will deeply morn an indulgent father. No more will his voice be heard among the people, but there is a still, small voice that seems to arise from the mound above him, echoing the words he has so often used: "Come up here and see me; I am treading the golden streets of the New Jerusalem amid angels and archangels, and listen to the songs of Zion that thrill through the gilded corridors of Heaven, from the throne of the great Jehovah."


Niles Mirror, Wednesday, March 6, 1883, page 4, col. 5, microfilm Niles District Library

--The funeral of Rev. Dr. Eddy will take place at the Presbyterian church, on Thursday, at 1 p.m. The services will be conducted by Rev. George F. Hunting, of Kalamazoo. Friends who wish to view the remains will have an opportunity to do so at the parsonage from 1 o'clock Wednesday until the hour of the funeral. The casket will not be opened at the church.


Niles Democrat, Saturday, March 10, 1883, page 3, col. 3, microfilm Niles District Library

At Rest--Rev. Dr. A. Eddy

 

Again has the hand of death been laid upon one of our most gifted, useful and beloved citizens, in the person of Rev. Dr. A. Eddy, pastor of the Presbyterian church of this city, whose death occurred at 8 o'clock on Monday morning. Dr. Eddy was a son of the Hon. David Eddy, and was born in Marion, Wayne county, N.Y., March 1st, 1815.

He was licensed to preach in 1835 by the Congregational Association of Genessee county. His first settlement was in his native township, where he preached three years.  In 1837, he accepted a call to Balona, N.Y., where he remained ten years.  Owing to failing health he resigned his charge and in 1840 removed to Beloit, Wisconsin, where he organized a Presbyterian church and remained till 1855, when he removed to Bloomington, Illinois.  Here he remained until 1863, when he accepted a call to Olivet Church, Chicago.  After two years' labor he organized the Ninth Presbyterian Church, where he preached until his call to the Niles church in 1871, where he has since labored, with so much success, and general satisfaction to his congregation and the people generally. His rare and superiour qualities of mind and heart bound all to him in the strongest ties of friendship, and his absence has created a void in the hearts of his friends which can never be filled. His generosity and sympathy knew no bounds where sorrow, sickness and distress existed, always aiding in word and deed.

He was an ornament to the church and his profession and a bright light to those who sought the straight and narrow way which leads to everlasting happiness.  His able and eloquent appeals and his kindly words of sympathy will long be remembered by his church and people, and they will look forward with bright anticipation to the day when they shall strike glad hands with him in the bright hereafter.

While sadness and sorrow is seen and felt throughout the city at the death of Dr. Eddy, there are those upon whom this affliction falls with almost unbearable weight, and those are the immediate members of his family--the beloved companion of his life for the past forty years, and the son and the five accomplished daughters. These are the ones upon whom this affliction comes with untold anguish. But in this gloom and darkness there is a bright ray of consolation and a voice from heaven saying all is well, I am safe at home--a little longer in yonder world, dear wife and children--then we will be reunited in endless bliss.

The funeral took place from the Presbyterian church on Thursday, and an immense throng followed the remains to their last resting place in Silver Brook cemetery.

 

 

 

Eddy, Catherine

Catherine Eddy
Feb. 7, 1818-Oct. 20, 1893


Niles Mirror, Wednesday, October 25, 1893, page 1, col. 3, microfilm Niles District Library

Obituary


From the Daily Star of Tuesday.

The death of Mrs. Catherine Eddy, which occurred at her home, corner of Broadway and 5th streets, on Friday afternoon last, touches the hearts of so many of the readers of the STAR that we cannot let it pass without a more extended notice than we gave in Saturday's paper.

Mrs. Eddy was born in Riga, N.Y., in 1818. She came to Niles in 1871, from Chicago where Dr. Eddy had filled a long and successful pastorate. Her genial manner, her large hearted sympathy, which was not circumscribed by denominational lines, her quick appreciation of kindnesses shown to her or to her friends, made her a general favorite with all classes from the first.  It was a common remark that "to know Mrs. Eddy was to love her."   The death of her lamented husband ten years ago, was a terrible blow to her in her advancing years, but with steadfast christian faith she rose superior to her sorrows and instead of weakening it seemed to strengthen her trust and to enlarge her sympathies. For three years she has suffered from partial paralysis which confined her to her room most of the time. But we are assured by those who were privileged to see her frequently that her interest in the church, in her friends and in the progress of the world at large was unabated. She spoke cheerfully of her approaching end, and with the eye of faith she looked beyond the veil to the mansions that were being prepared for her. All of her children--one son and five daughters were about her during her last hours; several of her grandchildren also were present.

The funeral was largely attended at the Presbyterian church at 3 o'clock Sunday afternoon and she was tenderly laid away in a grave made bright and attractive with flowers which loving hands had provided. She was litterally [sic]surrounded and covered with flowers.  Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Eddy, of Grand Rapids, with others from abroad, were in attendance at the funeral.


Niles Republican, Thursday, October 26, 1893, page 5, col. 3, microfilm Niles District Library

Death of Mrs. Alfred Eddy

 

Died, Friday, Oct. 20th, at Niles, Mich., Mrs. Catharine Eddy, widow of Rev. Dr. Alfred Eddy, a former well remembered and greatly beloved Pastor of the Niles Presbyterian Church.  Mrs. Eddy was born at Riga, N.Y., Feb. 7, 1818.  She was married at Holly, N.Y, Sept. 17, 1839. Twenty-two years ago, she came to Niles, and many remember her then in the prime of her womanhood.  Dr. Eddy was one of those grand brotherly men, whose life was Christ-like; whose memories are handed down from one generation to another, embalmed in all hearts. Mrs. Eddy was a worthy wife of such a man, sympathizing earnestly with him in all his pastoral work. By her gracious and genial cordiality she seconded his efforts and won all hearts. Their nearly half a century of married life was replete with happiness.  In their ideal home were reared six children, one son and five daughters, all of whom survive to treasure as a priceless heritage the virtues of their honored parents.

Mrs. Eddy was educated at LeRoy Female Seminary--afterward Ingham University--and possessed a cultivated intellect, with an appreciation of everything lovely in life, nature, art or literature. But that which most impressed all was the gentle strength, the intense sincerity of this "elect lady."  Her whole life was the unfolding of a nature rich, pure and rarely noble. Out of the terrible sorrow of her bereavement ten years ago, she came as gold from the refiner's fire and brought a sympathy for all sufferers, a firm faith in Heaven, and a certain something one might call a serenity of holiness. It illuminated her face, impressing the lives that touched her own. For the past three years she has endured great bodily weakness, living almost on the border of the spiritual world. Now that she has gone her hosts of friends grieve exceedingly.

A little before sunset, at the close of that calm autumn day, the clouds which had covered the heavens suddenly parted and the golden rays of light streaming through the window, threw a halo of glory, like the smile of God, over the face of one of his chose saints. To the loved children, all of whom where watching so tenderly about that bed, it seemed as though the door of heaven had been opened to receive her ransomed spirit, for while the light yet lingered her life went out.

Her funeral was attended the following Sabbath by a large concourse of sorrowing friends, Rev. J.G. Lowrie, Pastor of the church, conducting the services. Loving hands had lined the grave with flowers and evergreens and as the flower-ladened casket was lowered therein, it seemed robbed of its terrors.


Buchanan Record, Thursday, October 26, 1893, page 3, col. 2, microfilm Niles District Library

Mrs. Catherine Eddy, of Niles, mother of Mrs. E.L. Hamilton and Miss Frances Eddy, of that place, died at the home of Mr. Hamilton, Friday afternoon.

Eddy, Frances M.

Frances M. Eddy
June 27, 1862-Aug. 8, 1956

Niles Daily Star, Saturday, September 15, 1956, page 2 col. 4, microfilm Niles District Library

EDDY RITES ANNOUNCED

 

Interment services for the ashes of Miss Frances Eddy, former Niles resident who died Aug. 8 in Chicago, will be held in Silverbrook Cemetery Monday at 2 p.m. with graveside services conducted by the Rev. Chester F. Wetzel, assistant pastor of the First Presbyterian Church.

Miss Eddy was the daughter of the Rev. and Mrs. Alfred Eddy. Her father had served as pastor of the Niles Presbyterian church from 1871 to 1883 and her sister was married to the late Congressman LaRue Hamilton, of Niles. Her only survivor is a niece, Mrs. Homer Dixon, of Chicago.

Although Miss Eddy moved to Chicago about 20 years ago, she continued to return to Niles for a number of years for extended visits.

 

Note:  Gravemarker gives year of birth as 1862; however, it appears that Miss Eddy applied for a US Passport Nov. 15, 1924 stating her father to be Alfred Eddy and her birth as June 27, 1866 in Bloomington, Illinois.  Other family history gives dob as June 27, 1862.