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Duluth Deaths: Gwendolyn Shafer (handwritten: April 6, 1927)
Funeral services for Gwendolyn Jean Shafer, aged 2, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Shafer, who died yesterday following a brief illness at her home, 404 Eightieth avenue west, will be held Saturday at 1:30 p. m. at Bell Bros.' mortuary chapel, Rev. Daniel Halvorsen officiating. Burial will be in Oneota cemetery. Besides the parents she is survived by two sisters, Shirley and June.
Little Daughter Dies (1927)
(clipped from the Garretson newspaper (Garretson Weekly?), dated "6 April 1927".)
Garretson friends and relatives of Mr. and Mrs. L. C. Shafer were very sorry to learn of the death of their little three year old daughter, Gwendolyn, at their home in Duluth Wednesday of last week. Her death was caused by pneumonia. This was their second daughter, they having one older and one younger.
Mrs. Peter Williamson, Mrs. Shafer's mother, left early Thursday morning for Duluth, in company with Mr. and Mrs. George Tvedt, and Mr. and Mrs. G. C. McMahon. Mrs. Tvedt and Mrs. McMahon are sisters of Mrs. Shafer. The funeral was held Friday. They left Duluth on the return trip Sunday, arriving here Monday morning. Some of the roads were in a terrible condition.
Mr. and Mrs. Shafer have the sympathy of all their friends in this section in their loss.
Lawrence Chester "Zip" Shafer 1898-1973
Obituary (1973): Lawrence Chester "Zip" Shafer (from the funeral program. Lawrence died April 30, 1973)
Lawrence C. Shafer, son of Martha Nelsina Sjurson and Albert Hoyt Schafer, was born May 20, 1898 on a farm near Valley Springs; So. Dak. where he lived until serving in the U.S. Army in WW I. After his marriage to Mabel Williamson in Garretson, So. Dak. on September 1, 1920, they lived in Duluth, Minn. for several years and moved to Sioux Falls in 1940. He retired as assistant registrar at the V. A. Hospital in Sioux Falls in 1964.
He was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Faith and currently was a member of the Hope Lutheran Church. He was also a member of the Henry G. Fix Post No. 23 of the American Legion in Garretson.
Grateful for having shared his life are his wife Mabel; 2 daughters, Mrs. G. E. (Shirley) Sween, Bonner Springs, Kan., Mrs. Don (June) Geiver, Sioux Falls; 4 grandchildren; 8 great grandchildren; 4 brothers, Otho, Madison, So. Dak., Harold, Sioux Falls, Elmer, Valley Springs, Aaron, Brandon, So. Dak.; 4 sisters, Mrs. Olai (Hazel) Ronning, Dell Rapids, So. Dak., Mrs. Henry (Edna) Nerison, Sioux Falls, Mrs. Walter (Mildred) Smith, Valley Springs, Mrs. Josie Coulter, Pine River, Minn.; and a host of other relatives and friends.
Interment at Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Garretson, South Dakota
Mabel Louise (Williamson) Shafer 1900-1982
Obituary (1982): Mabel Louise (Williamson) Shafer
(Mabel died October 27, 1982)
Mable L. Shafer, 82, of 4700 W/ 38th St., died Wednesday at McKennan Hospital.
Mabel Louise Williamson was born June 20, 1900, near Garretson, S.D. She married Lawrence "Zip" Shafer Sept. 1, 1920, in Sioux Falls. They lived in Duluth, Minn., several years and moved from Garretson to Sioux Falls in 1940.
Her husband died April 30, 1973.
Survivors include two daughters, Mrs. G.E. (Shirley) Sween, Bonner Springs, Kan., Mrs. Don (June) Geiver, Sioux Falls; four grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; two brothers, Paul Williamson and Donald Williamson, both of Garretson; and two sisters, Mrs. Julia Tvedt and Mrs. Agnes McMahon, both of Garretson.
Services will be 1 p.m. Friday at Hope Lutheran Church. Burial will be in Zion Lutheran Cemetery. George Boom Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
More from the funeral pamphlet:
(When she died October 27, 1982, Mabel was 82 years, 4 months and 7 days old.)
Internment: Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Garretson, South Dakota.
Pallbearers: Palmer Williamson, Perry Williamson, Elmo Williamson, Jerome Tveidt, Mark Williamson (and Wendell Shafer)
Mabel Louise Williamson, daughter of Anna Aker Williamson and Peder Williamson, was born June 20, 1900 on a farm in Minnehaha County near Garretson, South Dakota. She grew up there, attended rural grades and graduated from the Garretson High School. She was married to Lawrence "Zip" Shafer in Sioux Falls in 1920.
She was a member of the Hope Lutheran Church.
Grateful for having shared her life are two daughters, Mrs. G.E. (Shirley) Sween, Bonner Springs, Kansas, Mrs. Don (June) Geiver, Sioux Falls; four grandchildren; nine [corrected to 12] great grandchildren; two brothers, Paul and Donald, both of Garretson; two sisters, Mrs. Julia Tvedt and Mrs. Agnes McMahon, both of Garretson; and a host of other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Zip, on April 30, 1973; one daughter, Gwendolyn; two brothers, Martin and Lewis; and one sister, Clara Franks.
Friends and relatives are invited to gather with the family at the Zion Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall following the committal service.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Goodwin "Duke" Sween. Survivors include her daughter, Jann Merando, Valley Falls, Kan.; two sons, Richard Sween, Huson, Mont. and Donald Sween, Overland Park; a sister, June Geiver, Sioux Falls, S.D.; and nine grandchildren.
Condolences may be left for the family at www.quisenberryfh.com.
Shirley Sween, 85, of Bonner Springs, Kan., died Wednesday, June 13, 2007, at Kansas City Hospice Home, Kansas City, Mo. She was cremated. No services are planned. Arrangements are by: Quisenberry Funeral Home, (913) 845-2740.
Published in the Kansas City Star on 6/16/2007.
"Nick Shafer" 1923-1938
"Nick" --- He Was a Good Dog (Garretson, SD newspaper - May 1938)
Nick, the big white dog belonging to Zip Shafer is not more. He reached the end of a long life last week. He had been a familiar figure on the streets of Garretson for several years. Mr. Shafer got him in a rather peculiar manner. He was formerly owned by Dr. W. D. Runyan of Sioux City. Zip had worked for the doctor for some time, and when the doctor died old Nick would not make friends with anyone else, so he was given to Mr. Shafer to care for. He was a peculiar dog, and we have asked Mr. Shafer to write an obituary which is as follows:
The King Is Dead
The King is Dead. Nicholas 2nd of Yarak, undisputed monarch of Garretson Dogdom, son of Champ Nason and Dam Yurak 15th Fox of England and Siberia, died from the infirmities of old age, May 19, 1938. After reigning supreme for close to 15 years "Old Nick's" passing will be mourned by all those who knew his little mannerisms, his polite sophistication, his grateful tolerance to a scratch behind the ear, and for his ability to be a King and a beggar at the same time. Regal in appearance, firm in his beliefs as to Dogdom discipline, commanding respect from humans and dogs alike, "Old Nick" was indeed a king.
The King is dead - he will be missed. - Not only by the family who especially morn his passing, but by the entire community whos friend he was.
No more will he serenade the meat shop for his morning hamburger.
No more will his sharp bark of command open doors for him so that he may be warmed.
No more will the dogs of Garretson step into the street because of "Nick."
No more will he beg prettily for doughnuts and favors from the kids.
No more will he stop traffic while he peruses his leisure way.
No more will he mess up the house with his muddy feet and silken hair.
The spot under the kitchen table is vacant - there is a vacant spot in the heart of his master - there are tears in the eyes of his mistresses, may his dog spirit fly to where there are no dog trials and tribulations.
Born at West Haven, Conn., June 18, 1923.
Died at Garretson, May 19, 1938.
Nicholas 2nd of Yurak is dead. The King is dead. Long Live the King.
