----Source: Greenwood Gleaner (Date Unkown) (From Leona Albert Collection)

Obituary of Geo. W. Bishop

George W. Bishop, for nearly forty five years an undertaker in greenwood, was called to the glorious life eternal sunday, February 7th near the noon hour as he was driving his funeral car to withee to meet the body of Mike Hendrickson. Elmer Johnson, who was accompaning him acted quickly and averted a possible accident. Mr. bishop had seemed to all his friends to have been in excellent health and had carried on his usual activities to the last, just as he had always hoped he might do. To go suddenly and to work to the end had been his earnest desire, and his passing, coming as it did after a long and useful life, yet before ill health had overtaken him, had much of the beautiful about it. Only an instant before the car started to leave the track and mr. Johnson saw a glancing in his face, that something serious was happening, he had enthusiastically and happily talked about how well his car was running, and how he enjoyed driving it.

Mr. Bishop is widely known having conducted a furniture and undertaking buisness here since 1892, when he, his wife, and daughter Mabel, moved here from Marshfield and purchased the corner lot on which his buildings now stand. This was the first lot to be sold off that forty of the Schofield Farm. The original stump fence had to be torn away and burned before building operations could begiin. Mr. Bishop was prominent in the buisness and social life of the community throughout the years of his residence here. Until its discontinuance, he was an attendant and supporter of the Presbyterian church, later years, of the M.E. church. He was a member of the I.O.O.F, the Modern Woodman, was an active member of the Masonic Fraternity, having served as Master several years and having once served as Grand Senior Deacon of the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin. He had been a member of the Order of the Eastern Star for a long term of years and served the local chapter faithfully and well, as their Worthy Patron since 1930 (excepting one year). At the time of his death he was the second oldest Worthy Patron in this state. Less than two weeks before his death, he conferred the initatory degree as impressively as he ever gave it.

He was mayor of the city in the year 1899-1900 and served twenty six years on the school board. He had been looking forward with interest to the coming celebration in Marshfield marking the fiftieth year since the Marshfield fire, for he was one of the carpenters and millwrights who came there following the fire to assist in the reconstruction work. He built the original Marshfield Furniture Factory and its water tower, and worked in the factory until he moved to Greenwood.

Mr. Bishop was always a busy hard working man, and his early life was far from bright and care free, for his father and mother died only a few months apart with typhoid fever, when he was not quite six years old. He tried to live with his namesake uncle, George Fawcett at Farmington, Ill, but lonsome for his brothers (he was the yougest of eight children, all but two of which were brothers) he was brought back to his sister's farm near his father's farm a few miles forom Barrington, Ill. When only nine years old he dragged all the grain on 160 acres of land and took care of a team, even harnessed and unharnessed them. He worked out for men who were friends of his father for the next several years sometimes for his board only, other times receving twelve dollars per month besides his board. During the winter of 73-74, when he was only twelve years old, he milked twenty cows night and morning, getting up at 4 o'clock week day mornings and three o'clock on sunday mornings. The year 77-78 he spent with his brother Cyrus and wife on their farm near green Mountain, Iowa and spent the winter of 78-79 with his brothers Ed and Frank near Red Oak, Iowa, and in the spring of 70 went to a cranberry marsh near Necedah with his brothers Tracy and Fletch.

It was while working on a farm near Camp Douglas that he met and married Ella A. Alds. After their marriage they lived in Necedah for five years, where he conducted a phtograph buisness and did cabinet and carpenter work, until they moved to Marshfield following the fire in '87.

Mrs. Bishop preceded her husband in death January 27, 1928. Mr. Bishop would have been 76 years of age, had he lived until February 22nd.

The funeral, one of the largest ever seen in Greenwood, was held from the M.E. Church Friday afternoon February 12th, Rev Longenecker of the Congregational Church of Neillsville officiating. The Masonic funeral Rites follwed the pastor' words and the interment in the Greenwood Cemetery was also in charge of the Masons.

the several fraternal orders to which he belonged attended in a body and many out of town friends were numbered among them, also throught the audience. Those relatives attending from out of town were: -- C.O. Bishop (Nephew) of Orient, Iowa; Ralph Bishop (Nephew) of Chicago, Ill; Dr. Hall L. Allds (Newphew), Chicago, Ill; Mrs. Geo. Allds (Sister-in-law) and Mr. Ellis Allds (Nephew) of Wausau, Wis; Mrs. Harvey Rifleman (Niece) and hustand, Mrs. Grover Danfield (Niece) and son, Geo. Wilson (Nephew) and wife, all of Rhineland, Wis; Mr. Frank Alds, (Brother-in-law), Mr. Lloyd Allds, (Nephew), Mrs. L Dorna Nate (Niece) of Camp Douglas, Wis; Mr. Walter Doerr (Nephew) of Hillsboro, Wis.

From among the lovely tributes of friends, reced by his surviving daughter, Mis Mabel Bishop, we quote: -- You will be proud of the useful life he lived. He was devoted to his family and home, deeply interested in everything that he thought was for the betterment of the community." "He was a mon of might fine principles, and one having an interest in other folks' problems. His good deeds, thoughs and help will still carry on in the hearst of those who knew him." "Whenever anyone ever needed a favor or an accommodation, the suggestion was always "ask Bishop". Now that he has crossed the great divide, I feel very confident in saying that not only you will miss him, but the community at lrge will miss the kind, pleasant, true and sterling character your father possessed."

"E'en for the dead, I will not bind my soul. Death cannont long divide Fir is it not as though the rose that climbed the garden wall Had blossomed on the other side?"

CARD OF THANKS

I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the many friends, neighhbors and faternal sisters and brothers of my father and myself, who through their various mediums of expression and acts of consideration and kindness have an invaluable confort and support to me since my father passed to his reward. It is my hope, to be able to eventually express my appreciation personall to everyone who in any way contributed to lightening my burden.

Mabel M. Bishop