Obit: Cole, Elizabeth (1862 - 1902)

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Surnames: COLE BULLOCK

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 05/29/1902

Cole, Elizabeth (3 NOV 1862 - 20 MAY 1902)

"Hands of the invisible spirits have touched the strings of that mysterious instrument, ‘the soul’, and she has closed the book, and bade the world Good Bye."

This is one of those sad occasions when death comes to rob the household of all that makes the home magnetic and cheery, for no better or nobler mother ever came to grace the home than the happy home over which Belle presided.

Elizabeth Bullock was born Nov. 3rd, 1862 at Hutchinson (now Dancy), Portage Co., Wis., where she lived with her parents until she was ten years old, from which place she removed with her parents to Colby, Clark Co., Wis., where she lived and grew to womanhood. She attended the public schools here and spent two years in Milwaukee College. Returning to Colby, she taught school a number of terms in Clark and Marathon counties. She spent about two years in the Phonograph office and on the 2nd day of April 1893, she was united in marriage to Louis L. Cole. Two years ago she removed with her husband to Waukesha, Wis., where her husband could be nearer his work, as bridge foreman of Wis. Cent. R.R. Co. A yar ago they removed from Waukesha to Fond du Lac, where Mr. Cole could be near the General Superintendent, at which place she lived until her death.

Elizabeth Bullock Cole was a noble hearted Christian woman. Her whole life and sets were reflections of her Christian belief. She was a steadfast and honored member of the M.E. Church in which faith she died. Always kind and cheery, noble hearted and charitable, no person was ever more ready to assist in this or that charity than the little woman we today mourn. The grief and sorrow of our community seemed universal last Thursday when the old and the young came to the house, or church or cemetery to express their deep grief over her untimely death for here, Belle had spent most of her life, childhood, girlhood, womanhood. What a flood of memories is called up in those three words, childhood, girlhood, womanhood. In those words we see the panorama of a noble life. Let us believe that her soul is given a new birth; that in our grief and lamentations we can take comfort in that most momentous message ever delivered to the human race: "He that believeth in me, thou he were dead, yet shall he live, and whoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."

Let us believe that she is not dead, but in the words of the Roman poet ,"Non Ommis Moriar." (I do not altogether die), ‘but a great part of me shall live.’ ‘For He in His apparent prodigality wastes not the withered blossom of the rose, but give it the sweet assurance of another spring time, will not suffer the imperial spirit of man to be laid away in this tenement of Clay.’

She leaves to mourn her loss a husband and two children, Nina Fern, age 6 years and Leslie Freeman, age nearly 2 years.

To the home and these children, it seems an irreparable calamity, that just in the time of their young age, she should be taken away. Her whole life seemed to be to make those around her bright and happy. She had not yet passed the forenoon of life and the future looked bright and happy, but in the midst of this radiant hope, the summons came, as the lightning flash from a clear sky, for no community was more shocked that this when the message came announcing that Belle was dead.

The funeral services were held at the M.E. Church in this city, and the sermon was preached by the Rev. E.G. Vischer, taking as his text the 18th verse of the 8th chapter, Romans: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

After the services in the church, loving hands tenderly carried her to our own cemetery, and with her head toward the setting sun she was laid to rest in the lots where repose the ashes of her mother, her brother Dudley, her grandmother and her Aunt Clara.

The pallbearers were her old friends and neighbors: G.N. Schultz, Henry Eder, Frank Firnstahl, J.E. Lyons, I.K. Cole and J.J. Shafer. The singing services were by the M.E. Church choir. There were many beautiful floral tributes by friends in Fond du Lac, Stevens Point and Colby.