Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Just, Josiah E. 1898
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The Daily Standard, 21 Feb 1898

His Sudden Death Brings a Day of Gloom

To the City of Ionia – Incidents of the Sad Event – Something About His Life –
An Enterprising and Liberal Citizen Gone.

Seldom has this community been so sadly shocked, as by the announcement of the
death of Josiah E. Just, for many years, since its first organization up to the
time of his appointment as state banking commissioner last year, the cashier of
the Ionia County Savings bank.  The fact that Mr. Just was so prominently
identified with so many public enterprises, that he was in the prime of life,
with no known premonitory symptoms of such an untimely fate, brought the blow
home to every heart with telling force, and caused a general feeling of sorrow
in the community that could hardly have resulted from the death of any other
citizen.

Mr. Just had not been feeling well during the day, and just before noon went to
his physician, Dr. T. R. Allen, and procured some medicine.  The symptoms
indicated stomach trouble, and there was no thought that there was any serious
ailment.  He went to Grand Rapids on noon train, on business, and returned on
the 4:34 train.  He attended the choir meeting, at the M. E. church in the
evening, and left there a little before the meeting was over, complaining of
pain in the chest, which seemed to recur at intervals.  He went from there to
the bank as is his usual custom, and was observed to stop at the side door
before entering, as though suffering severe pain.  He remained there but a few
minutes, going thence to his home, which he reached about 10:30.  He was much
distressed, and called to his wife to get a hot application for his chest.  She
at once telephoned to Dr. Allen, but he was not in, and she then telephoned to
Dr. Beckwith, who responded at once, but was unable to do anything to afford
relief, Mr. Just suffering terrible agony, and dying about five minutes later,
at 11 o’clock.  There were present at this time, besides the doctor, Mrs. Just,
his daughter Nellie, and the housemaid.  Mr. A. S. Wright was passing the house
a few minutes later, and noticing the doctor through the window, he entered to
inquire who was sick, and was inexpressibly shocked to learn of the sudden death
of his long time associate.  Assistant Cashier Burletson, by a curious
coincidence, overheard the telephone message, and arrived about the same time,
as did also Dr. Allen and Mr. H. C. Clark, secretary of the Ionia Furniture
company, a former resident of Muir, and long-time intimate friend of the family.
 The cause of death was neuralgia of the heart.

Biographical.

Mr. Just was a native of Ionia county.  He was born in Otisco township, on
December 20, 1847, and is the second youngest in a family of six children born
to James and Ann Jane (McClure) Just.  The parents were natives of Ireland,
where they were married.  For their wedding tour they crossed the Atlantic,
locating in Orange county, New York, and engaged in farming, but their sojourn
there was not long, for they soon removed to Michigan, stopping first in Jackson
county.  In 1847, the year in which the subject of this sketch was born, the
parents came to Otisco, where they resided up to the time of their death.

Josiah E. Just lived at home on the Otisco farm until 18 years of age, when he
accepted a position as clerk in the Lowell National bank, where he remained
about three years.  He was in Chicago for a brief period as clerk in a store,
and was on the home farm for a part of the time during the next two years.  In
1870 he entered the banking house of S.W. Webber & Co., at Muir, as clerk and
cashier.  Mr. Just remained associated with Mr. Webber in the banking business
for twenty-one years, but during that time there were many changes.  He was made
cashier of the National bank at Lyons, serving until the removal of that bank to
this city, where it existed for a considerable period as the Second National. 
Mr. Just was then appointed cashier of the First National bank at Muir, serving
until that corporation was succeeded by the banking firm of Webber, Just & Co.,
in which he was an active partner.  Messrs. Webber and Just were also interested
in the banking house of J. E. Just & Co., at South Lyon.  Mr. Just came to Ionia
in 1886, and organized the Ionia County Saving bank in the management of which
he showed business ability of a high order, as attested by the steady growth and
present high standing of the institution.

Mr. Just was married July 29, 1875, to Miss Ella V. Fox, daughter of M. H. Fox,
of Muir.  One child has blessed this union, Nellie, now about ten years old. 
Besides this immediate family, Mr. Just leaves three brothers; William J., of
this city; Dr. John G. of Montcalm county, and Isaac N., resident manager of the
business at South Lyon.  Two sisters also survive: Margaret J., wife of Prof. P.
A. Latta, of Allegan, and Ruth, wife of Levi Broas, of Belding.

Mr. Just belonged to that comparatively small class of citizens who look beyond
the narrow confines of their own individual success.  He was enterprising in a
public way, and always cherished the well being of his own city as an object of
prime importance.  Few men were more liberal in the respect.  He was
emphatically a “cheerful giver,” not only to every worthy public enterprise and
public charity, but his purse was ever open to every case of individual
suffering that came to his notice.  He was broad in his sympathies, and had a
generous appreciation of what was good in any man, with charity for obvious
short comings.  He was, in brief, the kind of man whose loss touches the hearts
of many people, in all conditions of life, because he had done many kindnesses
and given proof of his faith in the claims of human brotherhood.

One of the places where deceased will be most missed is at the M. E. church,
where his genial presence, hopeful nature and business counsel have endeared him
greatly to the membership, and especially to those upon whom the burden of
church affairs largely rests.  Although not a member of the church, he was a
member of the official board, and was a liberal supporter.  It was to him that
the church is indebted for the magnificent new organ, the expense of which he
assumed, and a large part of which he paid.  After it was in place, it is
related that he said that he did not care for a marble monument costly and grand
to keep his memory alive; the organ much better suited his ideas.  It is safe to
say, that it will be many years before the congregation will fail to remember
Mr. Just, when the tones of this instrument are heard.

At yesterday morning’s service at the Methodist church, no announcement of, or
direct reference to, the death of Mr. Just was made.  But the evidences of
sorrow were very apparent.  Though on an ordinary topic, every sentence of the
sermon, as well as every movement and attitude of the speaker, revealed the
intense feeling under which he labored.  The choir loft was vacant, except that
the four music stands were in their usual places, that used by Mr. Just being
decked with flowers and white ribbon.  The music of the services consisted of
appropriate familiar hymns, sung by the audience without accompaniment.  It was
a time of deep but unexpressed sorrow, many in the audience being moved to tears
by the impressiveness of the occasion.

The evening services were also very brief, the sermon prepared not being
delivered.  During the pastor’s brief remarks, he referred feelingly to the
great loss the church and community had sustained in the death of Mr. Just and
Mrs. Beattie.

The Funeral

Will be held from the M. E. church, at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.  Business houses
generally will be closed during the funeral, the Ionia Wagon company’s factory
will be closed during the afternoon, and all the banks will close at 2 p.m., for
the remainder of the day.


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