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Funeral Card Friday: Helen Still Webster

Helen Still Webster is my 2x great aunt. Specifically she is the sister of my maternal grandfather’s father. Born 24 August 1903 in East Fallowfield Township, she is the youngest child of Franklin Still and Sarah Jennie VanHorn. She passed away 1 March 1995 at Pocopson.

Her funeral service was held on Saturday, 4 March at Doe Run Presbyterian Church in East Fallowfield Township, Chester County. She is buried in the church’s cemetery across the street. The Reverend Dr. Sarah B Taylor officiated.

The front of his card shows a cross with some purple flowers. The back shows the funeral home which facilitated her service and burial. It was the Robert A Harris Funeral Home in Coatesville. Inside the card, on the left side, is a poem by Tennyson, titled “Crossing the Bar.”

The viewing was held at Harris Funeral Home, which is located in a beautiful old house on Lincoln Highway. The procession from the funeral home to the church could have taken a couple routes. The most direct would have been Lincoln Highway to Route 82 South out of town to Strasburg Road. However, the procession led Aunt Helen – who was without argument the family matriarch – and of all of us through Goosetown! I remember when her daughter Janet told me we were taking her past the old Still home in Goosetown, I thought Aunt Helen would love that sentiment.


Funeral Card Friday is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers.

© Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2016

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