Bessie Lee, daughter of George Elmer Nichols and Mary Ellen (Fisher) was born on a farm outside Rensselaer, Ind. Her middle name was after Civil War General
Robert E Lee. She died at Maple Heights Nursing Home in Mapleton, Iowa where she resided for 3 years after a stroke. She reached the age of 85 years, 9 months and 25 days.
In December 1905 she was married to William Matthew Doakes in Decatur County, Ind. To this union were born 3 daughters: Bernice Marchetta, Inez Marion and
Gladys Mae. After her husband's death the family moved to Mitchell, SD to be near Bessie's parents. They stayed in Mitchell awhile before Bessie took a job as a housekeeper in Iowa. Bernice stayed in Minneapolis with Bessie's sister Jane until Bessie married. Daughters Marian and Gladys went Bessie and went to Bessie's job as she worked.
She married H R Reincke on July 22, 1918; he was the man she kept house for and in this union 5 children were born: Dorothy, Ester, Frances, Raymond and LeAnna. They lived in a house near Battle Creek at first then moved to a farm northeast of Ricketts. In 1946 they retired from farming and moved into Charter Oak, Ia.
Bessie and H R were divorced later and she continued to live in Charter Oak near her daughters. She ass survived by seven daughters and one son, Mrs Elmer Quandt (Bernice), Mrs August (Marian) Kluver, Mrs Roy (Frances) Wiegel, Mrs Merrill (Ester) Messeck all of Charter Oak, Mrs Raymond (Dorothy) Fredricks of Denison, Mrs R E (LeAnna) Crowder of Bellevue, NE, Raymond Reincke of
Lynwood,CA, and Gladys Smart of Coldwater, OH. She was also survived by 28 grandchildren, 35 great grand children and 2 great grandchildren; two sisters Mrs Henry (Iva) Newlin, Mrs Jane Collard both of Minneapolis, brothers Harold Nichols of Burbank, CA. Gustus Nichols of Long Beach, CA, and Albert Nichols of Minneapolis.
She was preceded in death by two brothers Estil and Harvey and two sisters Georgianna and Gladys.
Funeral services were held Nov 16,1972 at 10:00 AM at St John's Lutheran Church in Charter Oak, Ia with Rev AI Prouty officiating. Her grandsons served as pallbearers: Raymond Fredricks Jr., Dale Messeck, Gary Wiegel, Val Jean Johannsen, and Richard Kluver.
Bessie's second husband was an unkind stepfather to the three girls from her first marriage. They were not treated well; he was a physically abusive man. Each girl left home at a very early age to make her way in the world. My mother Marion left at age 13 when he hit her exceptionally hard and threw her against a door and dislocated her shoulder. A Mrs Dorffler took her in and a kind doctor treated her. Bessie also suffered at his hand and eventually divorced him. She lived alone at last in peace and had daughters to care for her in her last years.
(The above was written by Bessie's granddaughter Mary J. (Kluver) Christensen.)
Robert E Lee. She died at Maple Heights Nursing Home in Mapleton, Iowa where she resided for 3 years after a stroke. She reached the age of 85 years, 9 months and 25 days.
In December 1905 she was married to William Matthew Doakes in Decatur County, Ind. To this union were born 3 daughters: Bernice Marchetta, Inez Marion and
Gladys Mae. After her husband's death the family moved to Mitchell, SD to be near Bessie's parents. They stayed in Mitchell awhile before Bessie took a job as a housekeeper in Iowa. Bernice stayed in Minneapolis with Bessie's sister Jane until Bessie married. Daughters Marian and Gladys went Bessie and went to Bessie's job as she worked.
She married H R Reincke on July 22, 1918; he was the man she kept house for and in this union 5 children were born: Dorothy, Ester, Frances, Raymond and LeAnna. They lived in a house near Battle Creek at first then moved to a farm northeast of Ricketts. In 1946 they retired from farming and moved into Charter Oak, Ia.
Bessie and H R were divorced later and she continued to live in Charter Oak near her daughters. She ass survived by seven daughters and one son, Mrs Elmer Quandt (Bernice), Mrs August (Marian) Kluver, Mrs Roy (Frances) Wiegel, Mrs Merrill (Ester) Messeck all of Charter Oak, Mrs Raymond (Dorothy) Fredricks of Denison, Mrs R E (LeAnna) Crowder of Bellevue, NE, Raymond Reincke of
Lynwood,CA, and Gladys Smart of Coldwater, OH. She was also survived by 28 grandchildren, 35 great grand children and 2 great grandchildren; two sisters Mrs Henry (Iva) Newlin, Mrs Jane Collard both of Minneapolis, brothers Harold Nichols of Burbank, CA. Gustus Nichols of Long Beach, CA, and Albert Nichols of Minneapolis.
She was preceded in death by two brothers Estil and Harvey and two sisters Georgianna and Gladys.
Funeral services were held Nov 16,1972 at 10:00 AM at St John's Lutheran Church in Charter Oak, Ia with Rev AI Prouty officiating. Her grandsons served as pallbearers: Raymond Fredricks Jr., Dale Messeck, Gary Wiegel, Val Jean Johannsen, and Richard Kluver.
Bessie's second husband was an unkind stepfather to the three girls from her first marriage. They were not treated well; he was a physically abusive man. Each girl left home at a very early age to make her way in the world. My mother Marion left at age 13 when he hit her exceptionally hard and threw her against a door and dislocated her shoulder. A Mrs Dorffler took her in and a kind doctor treated her. Bessie also suffered at his hand and eventually divorced him. She lived alone at last in peace and had daughters to care for her in her last years.
(The above was written by Bessie's granddaughter Mary J. (Kluver) Christensen.)
Bessie Lee, daughter of George Elmer Nichols and Mary Ellen (Fisher) was born on a farm outside Rensselaer, Ind. Her middle name was after Civil War General
Robert E Lee. She died at Maple Heights Nursing Home in Mapleton, Iowa where she resided for 3 years after a stroke. She reached the age of 85 years, 9 months and 25 days.
In December 1905 she was married to William Matthew Doakes in Decatur County, Ind. To this union were born 3 daughters: Bernice Marchetta, Inez Marion and
Gladys Mae. After her husband's death the family moved to Mitchell, SD to be near Bessie's parents. They stayed in Mitchell awhile before Bessie took a job as a housekeeper in Iowa. Bernice stayed in Minneapolis with Bessie's sister Jane until Bessie married. Daughters Marian and Gladys went Bessie and went to Bessie's job as she worked.
She married H R Reincke on July 22, 1918; he was the man she kept house for and in this union 5 children were born: Dorothy, Ester, Frances, Raymond and LeAnna. They lived in a house near Battle Creek at first then moved to a farm northeast of Ricketts. In 1946 they retired from farming and moved into Charter Oak, Ia.
Bessie and H R were divorced later and she continued to live in Charter Oak near her daughters. She ass survived by seven daughters and one son, Mrs Elmer Quandt (Bernice), Mrs August (Marian) Kluver, Mrs Roy (Frances) Wiegel, Mrs Merrill (Ester) Messeck all of Charter Oak, Mrs Raymond (Dorothy) Fredricks of Denison, Mrs R E (LeAnna) Crowder of Bellevue, NE, Raymond Reincke of
Lynwood,CA, and Gladys Smart of Coldwater, OH. She was also survived by 28 grandchildren, 35 great grand children and 2 great grandchildren; two sisters Mrs Henry (Iva) Newlin, Mrs Jane Collard both of Minneapolis, brothers Harold Nichols of Burbank, CA. Gustus Nichols of Long Beach, CA, and Albert Nichols of Minneapolis.
She was preceded in death by two brothers Estil and Harvey and two sisters Georgianna and Gladys.
Funeral services were held Nov 16,1972 at 10:00 AM at St John's Lutheran Church in Charter Oak, Ia with Rev AI Prouty officiating. Her grandsons served as pallbearers: Raymond Fredricks Jr., Dale Messeck, Gary Wiegel, Val Jean Johannsen, and Richard Kluver.
Bessie's second husband was an unkind stepfather to the three girls from her first marriage. They were not treated well; he was a physically abusive man. Each girl left home at a very early age to make her way in the world. My mother Marion left at age 13 when he hit her exceptionally hard and threw her against a door and dislocated her shoulder. A Mrs Dorffler took her in and a kind doctor treated her. Bessie also suffered at his hand and eventually divorced him. She lived alone at last in peace and had daughters to care for her in her last years.
(The above was written by Bessie's granddaughter Mary J. (Kluver) Christensen.)
Robert E Lee. She died at Maple Heights Nursing Home in Mapleton, Iowa where she resided for 3 years after a stroke. She reached the age of 85 years, 9 months and 25 days.
In December 1905 she was married to William Matthew Doakes in Decatur County, Ind. To this union were born 3 daughters: Bernice Marchetta, Inez Marion and
Gladys Mae. After her husband's death the family moved to Mitchell, SD to be near Bessie's parents. They stayed in Mitchell awhile before Bessie took a job as a housekeeper in Iowa. Bernice stayed in Minneapolis with Bessie's sister Jane until Bessie married. Daughters Marian and Gladys went Bessie and went to Bessie's job as she worked.
She married H R Reincke on July 22, 1918; he was the man she kept house for and in this union 5 children were born: Dorothy, Ester, Frances, Raymond and LeAnna. They lived in a house near Battle Creek at first then moved to a farm northeast of Ricketts. In 1946 they retired from farming and moved into Charter Oak, Ia.
Bessie and H R were divorced later and she continued to live in Charter Oak near her daughters. She ass survived by seven daughters and one son, Mrs Elmer Quandt (Bernice), Mrs August (Marian) Kluver, Mrs Roy (Frances) Wiegel, Mrs Merrill (Ester) Messeck all of Charter Oak, Mrs Raymond (Dorothy) Fredricks of Denison, Mrs R E (LeAnna) Crowder of Bellevue, NE, Raymond Reincke of
Lynwood,CA, and Gladys Smart of Coldwater, OH. She was also survived by 28 grandchildren, 35 great grand children and 2 great grandchildren; two sisters Mrs Henry (Iva) Newlin, Mrs Jane Collard both of Minneapolis, brothers Harold Nichols of Burbank, CA. Gustus Nichols of Long Beach, CA, and Albert Nichols of Minneapolis.
She was preceded in death by two brothers Estil and Harvey and two sisters Georgianna and Gladys.
Funeral services were held Nov 16,1972 at 10:00 AM at St John's Lutheran Church in Charter Oak, Ia with Rev AI Prouty officiating. Her grandsons served as pallbearers: Raymond Fredricks Jr., Dale Messeck, Gary Wiegel, Val Jean Johannsen, and Richard Kluver.
Bessie's second husband was an unkind stepfather to the three girls from her first marriage. They were not treated well; he was a physically abusive man. Each girl left home at a very early age to make her way in the world. My mother Marion left at age 13 when he hit her exceptionally hard and threw her against a door and dislocated her shoulder. A Mrs Dorffler took her in and a kind doctor treated her. Bessie also suffered at his hand and eventually divorced him. She lived alone at last in peace and had daughters to care for her in her last years.
(The above was written by Bessie's granddaughter Mary J. (Kluver) Christensen.)
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