Grundy County IL Archives Obituaries.....Barker, Abbie M Sabin 1891
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Morris Herald, June 1891
Morris Herald, Jun 1891

Mrs Abbie M Barker, died ______, aged 53 years. Her maiden name was Sabin, and 
she came to the west as a teacher, in 1865. April 17, 1866, she was married to 
Mr. Abbott Barker, this being the 25th year of their married life. It was 
their intention to have celebrated the event, but Mrs. Barker's health was so 
poor that it was an impossibility. Of her life in her early home in Pomfret 
Center, Conn., little is known by anyone here. She came to the west in the 
prime of her young womanhood, an earnest, devoted Christian, and at once took 
an active part in church work. Her life in the west has been spent entirely in 
this community, and being the infant class teacher in our Sabbath school, 
there is not a young person who has grown up in this vicinity but what has 
come directly under her guidance and sympathy. At the funeral, which took 
place on Monday, the 8th inst., the Sabbath school marched in a body from her 
late home across the meadow to the church "just over the way," following the 
path she has trod for years, accompanying her remains to their last resting 
place. At the church, as the casket rested for the last sacred rites, the 
children passed by, the infant class leading, and each child day their tribute 
of flowers on the casket in memory of her whom they all loved. Loving friends 
brought flowers in profusion, crosses and wreaths and pillows and bouquets 
without number. Seldom do we see a funeral where the whole neighborhood, one 
and all, are mourners as was the case in this. We could not even muster a 
choir and were obliged to ask assistance from abroad, and the Ridings family 
cheerfully came to our aid and rendered sweet and tenderly, loving hymns in 
token of respect and sympathy for both the living and the dead. The sermon was 
from 1 Cor. 2:21-23, from which the thought of death being the Christian's 
possesssion and servant, was dwelt upon. Her remains were then taken to the 
Barber cemetery as their last resting place. There remain among the living to 
mourn her demise, the husband and two adopted children to whom she was all a 
wife and mother could be by all the ties and love; a stepson and daughter, and 
also three sisters living in the East; besides numerous ones more or less 
intimately connected by marriage. She first became aware of the nature of her 
disease about a year ago, when for the first, it made an outward appearance. 
The past winter she spent in a cancer hospital at North Adams, Mass., and came 
home, April 1st, supposing that if not cured, she at least had a little longer 
lease on life. Alas, for human hopes! "The best laid plans o' mice and men, 
gang aft agley." She realized, for several weeks before her death, that the 
end was near at hand. Her fortitude and resignation, displayed in a marked 
degree, the blessing and comfort of the Christian's hope and strength. "Oh 
yes; It's all well and right. It's only going a little before. That is all." 
Her Christian culture and manifest zeal in all church and mission work marked 
her a leader and a councilor of more than ordinary worth. Every benevolence 
that could be reached, found espousal in her heart. May her mantle fall on 
other shoulders, to carry on the good work. We shall miss her from our circle 
of friendship and Christian love. We shall miss her Christian counsel; but an 
aching void will be left in hearts, to whom her life was as one with their 
own. Only a divine Father's love can mitigate their sorrow. Let us praise God 
that we have been privileged to share her counsel, her friendship and her 
love, and seek in His name to profit by what blessing her life has given.

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