OBIT: William M. MEMINGER, 1888, Tyrone, Blair County, PA

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Death of Wm. M. Meminger.

  Rev. William M. Meminger, a superannuated member of the Central 
Pennsylvania Conference of the M. E. church, and well known in this 
county, died at his home, in Tyrone, on Thursday morning of last week, 
after a protracted illness.  From the Tyrone Daily Herald we clip the 
following sketch of his life:
  Born in Perry County in 1822, Rev. William M. Meminger would have 
been sixty-six years of age had he lived until the 16th of March, next.  
He died at his home in this place this morning at five minutes before 
nine o'clock, a peaceful yet triumphant death, being assured that all 
was well and that He whom he had served in life would protect and care 
for him even amid the grim shadows of death.
  Rev. Meminger received his education at Dickinson College, Carlisle, 
and entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1845.  He 
was one of the same class with Rev. Jacob McMurray and Rev. Cambridge 
Graham, and his death leaves only one surviving member of that class - 
Rev. Franklin Gearhart, now on the superannuated list and living at 
Williamsport.
  His first charge was a circuit in the southwestern part of this State 
which he served four years, at about the end of which time, in 1849, he 
was united in marriage to Miss Watts, a daughter of Rev. James Watts, 
of the Baltimore conference.
  He then went to Virginia and after traveling a circuit in that State 
for five years returned to Pennsylvania and was successively stationed 
at Shirleysburg, Huntingdon county, and Martinsburg, this county.  Next 
he moved to Frostburg, then to Middleburg, Maryland, where the breaking 
out of the war of 1861, found him.  His duty then called him to 
Liberty, Westminster and Belaire, all in Maryland, and then once more 
his face was turned northward, and coming to the State of his childhood 
and early manhood he was placed in charge of the Espy and Light Street 
circuit, Columbia county.  From there he was transferred to 
Williamsburg, this county, thence to Milesburg, Warriorsmark, Bellwood, 
Manor Hill, Cassville and Newton Hamilton, at which latter place the 
premonition of dissolution came to him in the shape of a stroke of 
paralysis.
  This ended his years of duty in the active ministry of his beloved 
church which was a hard cross for his spirit to bear as he was devoted 
to his work and was only thoroughly happy when he had the consciousness 
that he was doing good.  During a period of forty years, over which his 
active ministry extended, it is said that he rarely ever missed an 
appointment, and was instrumental in bringing almost four thousand 
souls to a realizing sense of the need of a personal Savior and the 
necessity of living of a new life in the Christ which he preached.
  He moved to Tyrone about three years ago with his family - being on 
the superannuated list, but has almost ever since taken a part in all 
that pertained to the welfare of the church in this neighborhood, and 
only relinquished the work entirely when death, in the shape of dropsy 
of the heart, laid too firm a hold upon his human nature, and confined 
him to his home never to leave it again until the body, freed from the 
spirit, should be carried out.
  His last sickness continued for about eight weeks, and during this 
time his sufferings were of the most intense character, but never a 
word of murmuring escaped his lips, and his death was as was his life, 
a paean of praise to Him who doeth all things well.
  He was the father of eight children, three of whom are dead and five 
are living to mourn the taking away from them of a beloved parent, 
while they do honor to his memory.  These are W. F. Meminger, Mrs. 
Sadie V. Heaton, of Cassville, Mrs. Emma S. Fraim, of Harrisburg, James 
W. and Miss Mamie Meminger, who still have their home under the 
paternal roof.  Last, but not least, is the devoted wife who is called 
upon to give up the beloved husband of her youth, the father of her 
children, the object of her heart's warmest affections.  To all these 
the hearts of a sympathetic community go out in this hour of distress.

The Huntingdon Journal, Huntingdon, Pa., Friday, January 13, 1888