Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Girard, Catherine D. (Donahue) 1933 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net May 24, 2014, 10:32 pm Ionia Sentinel Standard, 3 Oct 1933 A Gold Star Mother Dies Mrs. Catherine Girard, for Whose Son, Killed in France, Legion Post Is Named, to Be Buried Thursday. Mrs. Catherine D. Girard, a gold star mother, died Tuesday morning at her home, 211 Dye street, following an illness that began on that October day, 1918, when she received the message telling of the death of her soldier-son, Lieut. John F. Girard, in France. She suffered severely at the time from the shock, and as time wore on her grief deepened. Although she was able to be about a part of the time she was obliged to remain for long periods in bed. She was among the first of the gold star mothers invited to go across to visit the graves of their sons, but the contingents, one after another, went to France, and she was not able to accompany them. But in June, 1931, strengthened by the desire to visit the graveside of her son, she made the trip across, and visited his burial place in the Romayne cemetery, France. Capt. John F. Girard was killed in action in the Argonne October 5, 1918. The following month memorial services for him were conducted in the Church of Christ by Rev. Clark Buckner, who was the pastor of the church. Mrs. Girard was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Donohue, and was born in North Plains township 64 years ago. She was living in Ionia at the time of her marriage, in 1890, to Charles Girard. Mr. Girard with another son, Thomas, of Detroit, survive. Mrs. Girard also leaves a sister, Mrs. Mary Connors, living near Carson City. For 25 years she lived at 432 West Washington Street in the home which is now the Bradley Funeral Home, and where the services will be conducted Thursday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock by Dr. Paul L. Stewart. The burial will be in the Oak Hill cemetery. She had lived on Dye street for five years. She was a member of the Royal Neighbors, the Woman’s Relief corps, and the auxiliary to the John F. Girard Post, American legion. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/g/girard25075nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 2.5 Kb