Obituary of Philander McGregory, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan

Copyright © 1998 by Jan Linser. This copy contributed for use in 
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 Cass City Chronicle
 Cass City, Friday Oct 22, 1943
 
 Pioneer Business Man Deid Sunday at age 93
 
 P.S.McGregory was active in church, business and community
 
 Philander S. McGregory, a pioneer businessman of Cass City and prominent in
church and community affairs, passes away at Pleasant Home Hospital Sunday
afternoon at the age of 93 years. He had been a hospital patient for two
weeks. 
 
 The body was taken from the Douglas Funeral Home to the Baptist church at
noon on Tuesday where it lay in state until the funeral hour at 2 o'clock that
afternoon. Rev. Frank B. Smith pastor of the church, conducted the services
and interment was in Elkland Cemetery. Erwin Wanner and 5 church officers who
served with Mr. McGregory as deacons, G.W. Landon, C.U. Brown, Bruce Brown,
Stanley McArthur and Eugene Livingston, served as pall bearers. 
 
 Philander S. McGregory was born in Garafraxa, Ontario on April 21, 1850.
Following the death of his mother when he was 10 years of age, he went with
his father from his home in Bayham to Otterville, Ontario where the lad worked
in a store before and after school. At Otterville, he spent three years in
school and at Cornell, Ontario he started clerking in a store at the age of 14
and continued there for 7 years. he then came to Michigan and secured a
postioon as a salesman in a store at Brockway Center, no Yale, where he worked
for several years. He then entered into paartnership with another young man in
a general merchandise store and after a  years went to Mr. Clemens where he
and a traveling salesman bought a shoe and clothing business. The business was
discontinued when fire destroyed the stock four years later. 
 
 Mr. McGregory came to Cass City in 1885, and with J.S.McArthur as a partner,
established a general merchandise business in the Hitchcock Block. Because
both of their names begin with Mc, they named their store 2 Macks 2, and
continued business under this name for 10 years when Mr. McGregory built a
business place a block farther east on Main Street and the firm dissolved
partnership. One half of the new business used by Mr. McGregory for his
clothing and shoe store and the west half by Mr. McArthur for dry goods
business. Mr. McGregory retired from business because of failing eyesight, but
retained an interest in the business until 1928. Acting as a representative of
a fire insurance companyu and the Maccabees toggther with gardening kept him
from idleness for many years after relinquishing his interests in local retail
business circles. 
 
 Mr. McGregory was a member of the board of education for 11 years, part of
that time serving as treasurer. He has been a  member of the Baptist Church
for 47 years and has served the congregation as deacon, trustee, treasureer
and Sunday School Superintendent. He occupied the office of deacon at the time
of his death.
 
 On February 21, 1889, he married Rose M. smith at Danville, PA. She passed
away on November 11, 1931. A grandson Dean McCoy also preceded Mr. McGregory
in death in 1925.
 
 Mr. McGregory was unusually active in his late years and for several seasons
spent the winter months in Florida. He enjoyed spending Christmas with his
grand children, so he delayed his trips south until after that holiday. He
celebrated his 90th birthday in St. Petersburg, Florida.
 
 Mr. McGregory leaves two daughters, with whom he has made his home since the
death of his wife-Mrs. Ethel McCoy of Cass City and Mrs. Frank McIntyre of
Grosse Pointe, 4 grandchildren, and one great grand child. Mr. McGregory was
the last of a family of seven brothers and sisters.
 
 Relatives who came to attend the funeral of Mr. McGregory Tuesday included
Dr. and Mrs. F.D. McIntyre and son, Donald of Grosse Pointe, Mr. and Mrs. Wm
Miller Great Lakes, Ill, Frank McGregory, Mr. and Mrs. Verne McGregory, Mr.
and Mrs. Harvey McGregory and family, Mrs. George Smith, and Mrs. Alma Turner
of Shabbona, mr. and Mrs. Leslie Phillips and Mrs. Edwar Hilliker of Argely,
Mr. and Mrs. Glen Smith and Mr. and Mrs. Avon Boag of Shabbona, Mr. and Mrs.
Fred Beadle of Melvin, mr. and Mrs. Frank Beadle and Kay Ann of St. Clair, Mr.
and Mrs. John McIntyre of Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Leon Smith and Wanda of
Detroit, and Mr. Meredith of Shabbona.

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