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Note: John Peter Via. Copy given to Tangela Jackson Holcomb by Doris Jackson Moore on 15 June 2002. It reads: DEATH: It becomes my sad duty to write an obituary of my dear wife's death. She was born to Elder J.E. and P.J. Atkinson august 25th 1873 and died May the 24th 1916. She was married to the writer, January 22nd 1896. She joined the church of her membership Spoon Creek and was baptised by Elder S.R. Biggs in November 1893. She loves her church and its welfare as well as anyone I ever saw, ever looking after the house to see that it was kept clean and th epoor unworthy writer and arranging his things for him to go and comfort God's people. I feel to be a poor preacher but surely I had a preachers wife. But she is gone. For some years she had been suffering with her stomach and the Drs. said she had indigestion. Shekept getting worse and was under the care of a Dr. for over a year. Her suffering became so intense that she said for a long time that she had a cancer of the stomach. In January she located a lump in her stomach. The Dr. said it was a tumer, ulcer or might be a cancer. He said he had done all he could for her and advised me to take her to Richmond Va. She said an operation was all that would do her any good but we were poor and it would cost me more than she was worth. I told her no! that if it took everything we had I would spend it on her. So we with the Dr. took the train for Richmond Feb the 14th 1916. The Drs at Johnson Willis Hospital where they diagnosed her case making four ex-Ray picutures but could not locate her trouble, but on the 19th she was carried to the operation table and the sad news, cancer of the stomach and a hopeless case. Dear ones I never will be able to tell my feelings. We had lived happily together for over twenty years, but I had never realized what she was worth to m e or how much I loved her until then. We remained in Richmond for three weeks when they thought she could come home. While in Richmond she had many sweet seasons in feasting on the sweet thoughts of Heaven to the extent that she said it was the happiest part of her life. Though away from our the poem says, "Pristines would palaces prove, if Jesus would dwell with me there". After we came home she seemed to improve for awhile, which made me hope the good Lord was going to heal her, but she soon took a turn for the worse. She began having hemmorages and her suffering was indescribable. She bore her suffering with the most paience of anyone I ever saw. She never did murmur but said if she could have all her suffering here it would be enough. Many times she would say Oh, Lord how much longer have I got to suffer here?" She said, "Surely I have been the greatest sinner in the world because I have to suffer so." I told her no, and referred her to Job and others. Many times during her last days she would wake herself singing. Just a few days before she died there was the sweetest singing around her that she ever heard. There were five weeks I never undressed for sleep. She did not want me to leave her for anything. I did about two and half days work during the five weeks. I feel that all was done for her that the kind Drs, neighbors and friends could do for anyone. She gave her children such good councel talking to them one by one, telling them how they ought to live and act towards each other and how they should heed mother's counsel and mind father when she was gone She said all she mionded dying for was leaving me and the children. Our baby was a little boy five years old who seemed to be the idol of her life. How she would hug and kiss him and say "how bad mother hates to leave her baby". Oh how good and loving he was to her. For two or three years he would neglect his play or the company of other children rather than leave her alone. But she is gone and how sad the ome is now. I feel my best friend on earth is gone; but I feel sure that my loss is her eternal and happy gain and the exchange is so great. I have been asked why I should weep for her. Just a little while before she died she prayed to ernestly to the Lord for His mercy and for Him to take her from this world and winding up her prayer shouting and clasp her hands in praise to God. Then turning to me and the children, said "Don't weep for me, my soul will soon be at rest." She talked of her departure as going on a journey, telling them how she wanted to be dressed and wwho she wanted to preach her funeral. Elders S.R. Biggs and L.I. Gilbert which request was filled. Surely she bore a part of my ministry. Some years ago whjile laboring under the impressioin to troublesome after I felt that I had obre it as long as I could, I mentioned it to her and she said she knew I had that mind for she had seen it in a dream and had seen the way as straight as a line and not a thing in it. Then she said for me to go and said she would feel lonely but for my ease to go on. But how can I go now? I feel that I am ruined for me to go to ? Could it be God's will to enable me to give my children the right counsel and to cause them to take heed and enable them to walk in mothers steps. Then when they come to their dying bed they can say with mother "Farewell vain world I'm goin ghome?" In the presence of the largest crowd I ever saw at a funeral, her body was laid to rest in the Via Cemetery. DEATH: To the dear ones who have remembered me in this great distsress I pray God's richest blessings be yours. DEATH: Dear ones pray for me and my children. DEATH: Your poor unworthy brother in much sorrow, DEATH: Elder J.P. Via Critz, VA DEATH: Copied by Elder J.D. Cockram, Stuart, VA BIOGRAPHY: This is copied from the original document written on 18 pages of 4x6 notepaper by Ida Lee Atkinson Via on April 12, 1916 in Critz, VA. This was given to me by my aunt, Doris Jackson Moore, who received it from her mother, Mary Lee Via Jackson (daughter of Ida Lee Atkinson Via). It is transcribed as written with no correction in spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. The letter is written to her brother, Frank Atkinson. It reads: BIOGRAPHY: Dear Brother, I will try to write a little stating some of my feelings and life spent time here of late so if you think it worthy of publication you do so maby it will find someone that can simpthyze (sympathize) with me I have bin (been) aflicted for severl year but just kept goen and saying nothing mutch about it untill my suffering got so great I told my husban that they would have to be something done he carried me to see the D.R. he examend me and sed I had a bad case of ?rite indjestion was docterin me for that and I went on in taking the mederson but did not seem to do me mutch good tride another DR he sed the same and gave me some mederson and seem to help me for a little while than I got to having bad spells with my stomach and kept on getting worse all the time Oh I cand tell how bad I sufferd sent for the DR he changed the mederson for uncirrated stomache but did not tell me what he thought was the matter than I got so mutch worse he come again Oh I was so bad dint seem like I could live I ses DR I believe I have got a canser in my stomache he ses well Mrs. Via I will be plain with you you have and ulcerated stomache I sed DR I blieve it is a canser it just seem like something eating up my stomache and dont seem like it could burn mutch worse if you was pouring hot lye in my stomache and than more than that I have some groths in my stomache and one in my side didnt seem that he could believe it I got to showing him where they were he found them than he wanted me to go to Richmond to the hospttle it seemed that were more than I could bair but was suffering so bad I dold them they would have to be something done and sed if they thought best I would go but ok none did I think when I told my dear children good by that I ever would se them agny more but went on noing that I could not live that way and sed if they were any ease for me I wanted to find it these words seem to ring in my mind all the way. I am going home to dye no more it didnot seem that I dreded the operation seem that I craved for the day to come for them to do what they had to do they operated on me the 5 day after I got there when they roled the table in my room and sed Mrs. Via this is for you it seem to make me rejoyce I got up and roled over on the table they carried me on up to they operation room these words seem to ring thrue my mind lord if I am not going to be well after this please dont let me awake no more I reconod that was the last thing that I thought of before I was gorn. but that was not the lords time for one to go but ok if it just could bin right for me to have never awake and than bin at rest what a happy exchange that would be and would of bin surch an easy death but I told my husban if I could no that I were doing my suffering here that I could take it more pationly but seemed the most of my time sense I come home dark and fool of douts and fears but oh it wont do for us to walk in the light all the way it seemed like I bcome so low in spirit that I just went begging all the time day and night could not sleep acescely any just role from one side to the other begging the lord to have mercy on me and show me in some way whether I were a child of god or not I have bin a member of the chirch some 25 years and seemed to come to me that maby the lord had never done any thing for me I dont think I ever have been in surch a fix in my life didnt seem that I could live and no chance for me to be saved than the next night Mr. Dock Hutcherson and sister Hutcherson come to se me but I could not injoy nothing I could not have any thing to say to them that I though they would want to here and I went to bed and had a dream that night that hope my feelings rite mutch I dremp that me and my husban was going to preachen and he had to baptise 2 sisters before preachen and he went on and left me to come by my self I went on I over taken severl wimin going on they were down walking over the ruffest land I ever saw they were a strate narrow path a long there that I was walking in I thought that it was the piertiest loviest path I ever saw in my life I told them that this path were a heap better walking than down where they were they sed they could not walk it I would come to where it would be so narrow I would think I cant walk here I would fall with one foot on one side of the path and the other one on the other side and than would be sitting in the path I would think this wont do and would get down and try to walk with the rest but was so ruff I could not get a long so we got to where they were going to have the baptising and didnot see any way to get to the water my farther and mother were there they told me that they didnot have time to wate they were going on to preaching my mother has bin dead for years my farther has bin dead 2 year next xmas my husban cam to me and told me he would show me the way we went on seemed the way was the muddiest way I ever saw I told my husband I could not get thrue there he sed I have bin thrue there and you can too seem like the first step I went in the mut to my knee but went on and came to the water where they were going to do the baptising I thought that were the cleariest water I ever saw seemed it were as clear as glass seemed that I crossed over the other side my sister in law Mrs. Rose Via were standing there seemed she looked better to me then she ever did and shode more love towards me than she ever did I went on too her seemed that I taken hold of her too fore fingers and told her howdy and we put our arms a round one and other and went on down to the water my husban taken them too wimming one on each hand and carried them down in the water and then seem like than the place where he had to baptise them were like a grave that had bin dug he taken them down in there and I awoke and did not dream what become of them nor me eather I told my husban a bout my dream the next morning he sed its a good dream it give me some comfirt.....(the end)
Note: DEATH: Obituary for Ida Lee Atkinson Via, written by her husband, Elder
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