Minnie Maroa Moser was born in Smith County, Kansas in 1894, the third of six children of Romanus Calvin Moser and Emma Jane Ross Moser. (Minnie's unusual middle name Maroa was given her by her father, who had previously lived in Illinois near the home of the Maroa tribe.) When Minnie was seven, the family moved to Wahington Township, Nebraska near the town of Riverton. There, Romanus was an active community member, serving for a time as School Board President. He designed a system for his house which was the first gravity-fed running water in Franklin County, with faucets in the upstairs bathroom and the kitchen. (Described by his grandson Orral Colby) Minnie grew up to be an excellent student. May 30th, 1912 on her eighteenth birthday, Minnie married Clarence Colby. They had two children, a son named Orral and a daughter named Olive. In 1917, they moved their young family to a homestead in Maysdorf, Wyoming located about 25 miles south of the railroad town of Gillette. Clarence Colby's brother Bob Colby (Albert) and his wife Mazora were homesteaded nearby. Minnie traveled home to her parents' house in Riverton for the birth of each of her two younger sons, Fay and Delmar before returning to Maysdorf.
Life as dry farmers in the hilly Maysdorf area was hard, but Minnie worked to make a home. Water needed to be hauled uphill from a nearby stream and supplies were brought by wagon from Gillette. Her nephew Eugene (Bob's son) remembers her as a happy person who was always smiling and enjoyed playing with the children. He described her showing the children a trick with gravity by swinging a bucket of water around her without spilling a drop and her easy laughter at their amazement. In 1924, Minnie complained of a severe headache and while Clarence and the family rushed her north in the wagon to Gillette to see a doctor, Minnie passed away. Her youngest sons were only three and six. Clarence and his children moved back to Riverton Nebraska, taking Minnie home for burial.

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Minnie was born on October 30, 1894 in Smith County, Kansas. At the age of 7, she moved with her parents (Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Moser) to Franklin County, Nebraska. She was married to Clarence Colby on October 30, 1912. She moved to Wyoming and died on July 8, 1924 (or July 3). She was 29 years, 8 months, and 2 days old. She was buried at the Riverton cemetery.

Note: Above obit info from a family member; name of newspaper unknown.
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Burial information below is per correspondence w/volunteer for Franklin County, Nebraska found on this website:

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nefrankl/cemeteries.html

Franklin County Cemetery book shows:
Riverton, Nebraska Cemetery:

COLBY, Minnie M(arie Moser) b Oct 30, 1894 d. Jul 3, 1924 Wife of Clarence Colby (Married Oct 30, 1912)
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