Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Noddins, Sherwood Robert   1920 August 12, 1920
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Pat Blood pat.blood@gmail.com May 24, 2011, 2:34 am

Belding Banner – Wednesday, 18 August 1920
Word reached this city Friday evening that Sherwood Noddins for practically 
all his life a resident of Orleans had committed suicide by shooting himself 
in the barn at the rear of his home some time during that afternoon.  Nothing 
had been seen of Mr. Noddins since the afternoon but he was not missed until 
it began to get dusk and the electric lights in the village of which system he 
was the proprietor failed to come on at this usual time when an inquiry was 
made that his rash act was discovered.

Gene Hoppough, son of Sheriff, mark Hoppough, went to the Noddins home to see 
what was wrong.  Mrs. Noddins was suspicious that all was not as it should be 
and told Mr. Hoppough so.  The later was directed to the barn where he was 
told Mr. Noddins undoubtedly was.  The barn door was locked but on going thru 
a window Mr. Hoppough came upon the body where it lay as it had fallen when 
the fatal shot was made.

Mr. Noddins had taken a single barreled shotgun and had manipulated it in such 
a way that by pushing a stick against the trigger he could discharge it.  He 
had held his neck over the muzzle of the gun and fired it.  His death could 
scarcely have been other than instantaneous.

A broken rope, found hanging from a rafter gave mute evidence that Mr. Noddins 
had undoubtedly tried this method and had found it unsuccessful and had then 
decided on using the gun.  Neighbors stated that he had been despondent for 
some time and that he had attempted to take his life on two previous occasions 
but had been prevented in his efforts to do away with himself.

Coroner Boynton and Sheriff Hoppough of Ionia went out to Orleans immediately 
on being notified of the tragedy and the body was taken back to Ionia where it 
was prepared for burial.  Mr. Noddins had lived as we stated before for 
practically his entire life in Orleans.  He owned a fine farm near there and 
also was the owner of the Easton Independent Telephone Co., servicing many 
farmers in Orleans district with telephone service.  He also owned the Orleans 
electric lighting system.  At other times he had been interested in 
manufacturing ladders and in buying produced.  No reason, other than that his 
mental condition has not been as it should have been for some time, can be 
ascribed as the cause for his act his financial affairs having been declared 
to be in good shape.

Funeral services were held from his late home Sunday afternoon at two o’clock, 
Rev. P. Ray Norton officiating and burial was in Orleans cemetery.  Robert 
Sherwood Noddins, oldest son of Thomas and Betsey Ann Noddins, was born in 
Berlin Township, Ionia County, Mich., and March 9, 1865, where he spent his 
boyhood days. T he remaining days of his life were spent mostly in public 
service he was a man of sterling honesty.  He died August 12, 1920 at his home 
in the village of Orleans.  In the year 1885 he was married to Martha E. 
Gulliver who died July 16, 1895, to this union was born one daughter, Mable E.

In 1896 he was married again to Amelia Wooldridge.  To this union were born 
two sons, Maurice Robert who died May 23, 1906 and Raymond W., who with his 
wife, a daughter, Mrs. Berthold Chickering, four grandchildren, a sister, Mrs. 
Emma Comstock and one brother, William Noddins with many other relatives and 
friends are left to mourn his untimely death.




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