King, David (1834-1926)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1926 Dec 8 p. 7

Birth date: 1834 Apr 28

text of obituary:

David King

David King, more familiarly known as Grandpa or the “Wheat Gleanor [sic Gleaner],” was born near Wooster, Wayne Co., Ohio, April 28, 1834, departed from this life November 26, 1926 at the ripe old age of 92 years, 6 months, and 29 days. And truly as quoted in Job 5:26 he had come to his grave in a full age like as a sheaf of corn cometh in, in his season.

At the age of eight years “Grandpa” moved with his parents to Marion county, Illinois, later to Tassel county, Illinois, where he grew to manhood. On April 3, 1859 he was united in marriage to Barbara Zook near Bloomington, Illinois. Together they lived in Illinois until February 1886 when they moved to Pawnee county, Kansas, where mother passed away in September 1891. Since mother’s death, “Grandpa” has traveled quite extensively making at least fifteen thousand miles in his cart, or his buggy, and in so doing he satisfied his natural bent for visiting and also was able to pass many an otherwise lonely hour; being naturally sociable and desirous of visiting he had many friends in at least twenty counties in Kansas and ten or more states besides Kansas.

Being a poor man and a hard worker nearly all his life, he could not break the habit when he reached the age at which most men retire and about sixteen years ago started something where he could e in a class strictly by himself, that of gathering up wheat after the threshing machine had left a setting and wasted the golden grain as he thought by carelessly leaving too much on the ground. And his surmising proved true, as he gleaned enough during the years he kept at it to make a rather enviable salary for a man of his years. And while he was more successful in making a little more money in his later life than he had been earlier, he did not forget to satisfy his lifelong ambition of wanting to help those less fortunate and gave to worthy causes a large tithe out of his earnings.

Not only has “Grandpa” lived to a ripe old age and worked and traveled as few of his fellows have, u he has left an unusually large posterity to mourn his loss and cherish for a long time the memory of his friendship. Besides his many more distant relatives, cousins, nephews and nieces, living from coast to coast and the Canadian border on the north to the Gulf on the south, there remain 4 brothers and 4 sisters, 82 great grandchildren, 36 grandchildren, and 6 children as follows: Mrs. Mary Isabell Neuhauser of Newton, Kansas, Samuel B. King, Hesston, Kan., Emanuel J. King, Hutchinson, Kansas, David S. King, Harrisonville, Mo., Benj. J. King, Hesston, Kansas, and Amos E. King, Larned, Kansas, 6 daughters-in-law and one son-in-law, 2 children Joseph and Josephine having gone on before to await his coming.

During “Grandpa’s” long life he has not known much sickness. A little less than a year ago he was confined to his room for two weeks when for a while his recovery was doubtful, but he rallied, and while he had been quite active during the past year, it could be seen that he was gradually failing and when he was again stricken with a hard coughing spell and was once more confined to his room for five weeks, most of the time in bed, his vigor gave away, and at God’s call “to come up higher” he peacefully fell asleep at the home of his daughter in Newton, Kansas.

One funeral service was held at the Pennsylvania Mennonite church four miles southeast from Hesston on Sunday afternoon at 2:30, his friend of many years, Rev. T. M Erb preaching his funeral sermon, using as a text Job 5:26l. On Monday afternoon the remains were shipped to Larned, Kansas, and from there taken to Pratt where the final services were held in the Pratt M. E. church, conducted by Rev. R. M. Weaver of Harper assisted by Rev. Brown of he Pratt Church, after which interment was made in the Pratt cemetery beside his wife.

The pall bearers at the service were six of “Grandpa’s” grandchildren and at the final service his five sons and his son-in-law were selected.

“Grandpa” united with the Mennonite Church in early life and remained faithful until death. A short time before his departure he sang one of his favorite hymns, “I’m Going Home to Die No More,” and we believe he did.

B. J. K.