Page County IA Archives Obituaries.....Lisle, C. A.  1920
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Clarinda News
C.A. Lisle
" Newspaper pioneer, Founder of Lisle Corporation"
October 13, 1846 - June 13, 1920
Those who knew him in his prime, in the days of his manifold activities, can
hardly realize that the life work of C. A. Lisle is finished, and that no more
on earth will he be greeted by the many who were accustomed to meet him as he
went about his daily work. And yet he is gone; his body rests in the Clarinda
Cemetery; his spirit has flown to the rewards prepared for the Christian. 
Death came to Mr. Lisle at his home in this city early Sunday morning, June 13,
1920. He had been in failing health for a long time, for something like two
years, the failing was noticeable. Last winter he and Mrs. Lisle spent at St.
Petersburg, Fla., for the benefit of his health. When he returned home this
spring it was noted in sorrow that he was not as strong as it was hoped he might
be, and toward the last, as he was confined to his bed, his condition was
significant of an approaching end that could not fail to be apparent, and of
which friends and neighbors cared to speak but little. Mr. Lisle's death
occurred in the seventy-fourth year of his age; had he lived until the 13th of
next October he would have reached the age of 74. 
He had been a resident of Clarinda since 1885, and until recent times there was
hardly any local public matter or public enterprise in which he did not take
lively interest. For many years he was best known as the editor of the Clarinda
Herald. Finally he sold that paper to its present owner, P. B. Woolson. As a
newspaper man he implanted his personality in The Herald and made it the kind of
a publication which a great Eastern editor described in his application to
another newspaper--which people would "swear by or swear at." Now that Mr. Lisle
has been out of active editorial work for years probably very few of any of
those who differed with him would charge that he acted otherwise than as he
believed for the right or as from his standpoint of view he felt he was
justified in doing.
 He had his imperfections, just as all men been to them, and as an editor was
often criticised freely, even as he freely criticised others, and so he was a
man kept in action. Perhaps The Journal might with proprietary refer to the fact
that it had its tilts with The Herald in the days when Mr. Lisle was The herald
editor, but looking backward those tilts on either side seem to have been
unnecessary. We never said so to Mr. Lisle while he was living, and neither did
he ever express himself so to us, but very likely he came to feel about the
matter just as we do, that in competition there was room for peaceful pursuit.
Following his graduation at Iowa Wesleyan University Mr. Lisle became identified
with the school work of the state--as principal of the Burlington high school
and superintendent of the schools at Red Oak. For ten years he exerted an
influence upon the young lives entrusted to his supervision that endeared him to
a large number of the men and women active in the life of Iowa today.
 He as a member of the Methodist Episcopal church for more than fifty years and
was Sunday School superintendent here and in other places a total of thirty-one
years. Even after his resignation as superintendent here he continued as teacher
of a Bible class. He was a delegate to General Conference at Los Angeles in
1904. Mr. Lisle was generous in his subscriptions to his church and to a great
variety of public causes. Anything in the way of public improvement he favored.
He was a strong Methodist, strong in favor of prohibition, a Republican
politically, in Americanism a devoted patriot; during the World War he was one
of the most zealous in behalf of his country--the land of the stars and stripes. 
He was one of the organizers of the Clarinda Chautauqua assembly, and served as
one of its officers; for a number of years he was president of the Clarinda
Commercial Club; he helped organize and for a number of years was a director of
the Clarinda Trust and savings bank; on the recommendation of the late
Congressman W. P. Hepburn he was appointed postmaster of Clarinda, a position he
held for about five years, between the administrations of postmaster R. H.
Chamberlain and J. H. Dunlap. Finally he began to feel the impelling influence
of a desire for enlarged business, and associated himself with a strong
organization in Clarinda in the manufacturing industry, becoming the head of the
Lisle Manufacturing company, one of the leading business concerns in this city,
and which does a national and international business, with a large and imposing
building down near the Burlington Route passenger depot. 
Last year he and a few of his associates in business built a fine brick
structure, 144 x 144 feet, at the corner of Sixteenth and Water streets, for a
garage, he being at its head, and where is carried on the business of the Lisle
Co. Garage, one of the most important garage businesses to be found outside of
the larger cities, and in a building that would de credit to any city in the
Union. Mr. Lisle was a life long friend of William C. Brown, formerly president
of the New York Central Lines, and together they have co-operated in different
business enterprises in Clarinda. Mr. Lisle had the faculty of being entirely at
home with distinguished men in various walks of life; he was easy to meet, a
graceful conversationalist, and hospitable to the utmost limit of cordiality and
kindness; he was an extensive traveler, frequently by rail before the days of
the automobile and after the advent of that machine going both by rail and
machine. East, west, north and south he went, and by travel added to his other
knowledge.
He was a great home man; happy in the companionship of his wife and children,
and doing everything for them that a generous heart could provide, he was a kind
hearted and generous neighbor, too. It was as natural for him to extend his hand
for a cordial handshake as it was for him to meet a friend or acquaintance, and
natural also, for him, in a general way, to remember to ask after one's health,
and the health of one's family. He was remarkable, in fact, in his close
attention to little details of courtesy and friendliness to those about him. 
The funeral was held Monday after noon at 4:30 o'clock at the beautiful family
home on South Sixteenth street. It was conducted by his pastor, Rev. J. M.
Williams, of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Clarinda, assisted by
Reverends Jay Kirkendall of Corning, E. A. Menoher read the Scripture lesson;
Dr. Kirkendall spoke as an old friend of the deceased; Mr. Woodard as his former
pastor, Dr. Williamson as to the life of the decreased in the community, and Mr.
Williams as his pastor. In their references to Mr. Lisle the speakers were
highly eulogistic. Each of the speakers brought out prominent points to the
credit of Mr. Lisle. Could he have heard them he would have known that his
helpful efforts had been and were appreciated. 
At the funeral the following obituary was read by Rev. J. M. Williams: "Charles
Albert Lisle was born Oct. 13, 1846, in Belmont county, Ohio, the son of Joseph
and Mary (Evans) Lisle. At 13 years of age he came with his parents to a pioneer
farm near Panora, Guthrie county, Iowa. At 15 years of age he enlisted in one of
the earliest of the Iowa regiments mobilized for the Union cause; but at
training camp was taken ill with typhoid fever and for weeks lay near death, his
ultimate recovery being so slow that he was unable--though trying to enlist a
second time--to qualify for service before the war ended. 
At the age of 18 he had equipped himself to teach and began his work as a
teacher in the rural schools of Adams county, continuing there and in Guthrie
county until he had financed his own supplementary education at Iowa Wesleyan
University, Mt. Pleasant. It was there that he met Frances Lavine Spry, and,
after her graduation and just prior to his own, these two were married Jan. 3,
1872. Their life together was ideally happy till terminated by Mrs.. Lisle's
death at the family home here in Clarinda, July 10, 1900. Of the seven children
two have preceded their father into the life beyond. Charles Vernon gave his
life to save a younger brother from drowning, Sept. 20, 1890. Lorance Spry Lisle
died March 15, 1913. 
The surviving children are Mrs. S. M. Greene, Mrs. William A. Turner, Edwin
Lisle, Mrs. A. A. Jeffrey and Harvey M. Lisle. There are fourteen grandchildren.
Mr. Lisle is survived also by the devoted companion of his later years, formerly
Mrs. Emma Harris Russell, to whom he was married Feb. 19, 1908. 
Following his work in the Burlington High School Mr. Lisle entered the newspaper
field, as editor and publisher of the Plain Dealer at Fort Madison, continuing
there four years. At the end of that period, having sold the newspaper, he
accepted a position with a bonding corporation to inspect public utility plants
whose bonds were offered for sale. In this work he came to Clarinda to look over
the waterworks and in the course of this duty chanced to stand upon the high
hill at the west edge of the town. And as he looked out over the beautiful town
with its boundaries merged with productive farm lands and encircled by verdant
hills he said: "Here I will make my home." He chose Clarinda; resigned his
position, bought the Clarinda Herald and moved his family to this house. That
was in 1885--more than a third of a century ago--and from that time till he
entered his Heavenly abode at sunrise yesterday morning this has been his home,
of all places the most loved. for the loved ones in this home and for his chosen
community he was given the full measure of his strength and devotion."


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