Bastrop County, TX - Obituary of William M. Hess

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The Smithville Times, Thursday, March 14, 1957, Smithville, Texas

Obituary of William M. Hess

William Mitchell Hess of the Upton community, was born June 9, 1884 near 
Rosanky, and died Feb. 5, 1957, at 7:00 AM at Scott and White Hospital in 
Temple, death resulting from a heart attack.  He had been in the hospital 
for 47 days.

Mr. Hess was the son of Rheinhardt Hess and Rosa Shupak Hess, both deceased.  
He was married on Feb. 3, 1910, to Margaret Emma Farris of Smithville, with 
the ceremony taking place at Upton and the Rev. Herbert H. Moore, pastor of 
the First Christian Church officiating. Survivors include his widow, Mrs. 
Emma Hess; five brothers, Frank Hess of Gatesville, A. D. and Randolph Hess 
of Temple, Joe Hess of Houston and A. M. Hess of Victoria; five sisters, Mrs. 
Lena Stein of Houston, Mrs. Otto Zitelman and Mrs. Herman Zitelman of Waelder, 
Mrs. Frances Martinec of Fort Worth, and Mrs. C. J. Stolle of Rosanky; and a 
number of nieces and nephews. Mr. Hess was a farmer and rancher but had not 
been very active for several months.  He was a member of the First Christian 
Church of Smithville and was a Deacon in the Church at the time of his death.  
He was a member of the W. J. Nixon Lodge, Smithville; the Ben Hur Shrine of 
Austin, the Woodmen of the World, and was an active member in the Eastern Star, 
Smithville.  His hobby was growing flowers and he had a beautiful flower garden.  
He also liked to cook and did much of the cooking as long as his health permitted.  
He loved people and liked to have company, and the fact that he made many friends 
was attested to by the large number in attendance at his funeral.

The funeral services were held at Marrs Memorial Chapel Feb. 7, at 3:00 PM with 
Rev. R. L. Hargis officiating.  With Mrs. Claude Watterson at the organ the Choir 
of the First Christian Church sang “In the Garden” and “Abide with Me.”  The O. E. 
S was in charge of the flowers at the funeral. Interment was in Oak Hill Cemetery 
with Masonic graveside rites by Shriners.  The pall bearers were also all Shriners: 
E. M. King, Frank B. Green of Bastrop, George S. Woodress, H. E. Bennett, Sr., O. C. 
Fite, O. W. Craddock, F. S. Burns, Harry R. Tidwell, and R. B. Edwards. Friends and 
relatives attended the funeral from Bastrop, Austin, Temple, San Marcos, Gatesville,
Houston, Victoria, Fort Worth, More, Waelder, Rosanky, Muldoon and La Grange and well 
as from Smithville and his home community, Upton.

Rev. Hargis, in speaking of the deceased, exemplified his life with these words:
“Will Hess has erected his monument of immortality in the memories of those who knew 
and loved him.  He quarried his stones, and set them in the good mortar of God’s wise 
and eternal word.  And may I suggest that your memorials to Will Hess be not just a 
cold edifice of stone and marble. Rather let it be a warm and living faith in Him who 
charges us today, as He did centuries ago: ‘Believest thou that I can do this?’ “Will 
Hess believed that.  He lived by his belief that he was not fitted just for a brief 
human habitation. Rather he believed that he was called by the design of the Great 
Architect.  And he invested his service here in building for himself a house not made 
with human hands, but eternal in the heavens. “So let our memorials to Will Hess be a 
living faith in the God whose light he sought to follow, and whose wisdom he accepted 
as his guide.  Let our memorials be a living faith in Him who challenges us even today: 
‘Believe thou that I can do this?’.”