Obituary: John W. Gangwer – Rockingham Co., VA ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ************************************************************************ Contributed by Ranette Bell tdbell@erols.com *********************************************************************** Gangwer Rites Today At Noon Confederate Veteran Will Be Buried At Ottobine Funeral services for John W. Gangwer, 95, one of the Rockingham county's last surviving Confederate veterans and well-known retired farmer of the Dry River section, who died Sunday morning at 6:30 at Rockingham Memorial Hospital, where he had been a patient for the past year, will be held today at 12 noon from the Ottobine United Brethren Church. Services will be conducted by his pastor, the Rev. Lloyd S. Bowman, assisted by the Rev. James A. Swain, of Dayton. Burial will be made in a nearby cemetery. Great-nephews of the deceased will be active pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be: J. R. Pence, H. C. Croushorn, G. S. Croushorn, D. J. Black, J. E. Long and N. F. Wine. Mr. Gangwer who was a member of Maj. George Chrisman's "Boy Company" which was raised in Harrisonburg and Rockingh County during the War Between the States. Until his retirement, because of advanced age, Mr. Gangwer was engaged in farming in the Dry River section. He never married. Before his health failed Mr. Gangwer was a familiar figure at veteran celebrations such as Memorial Day, Lee-Jackson Day and other Confederate events here. At many of the celebrations in late years he was often the only Confederate veteran in attendance. Confederate Veteran Dies John W. Gangwer Aged 95, Passes Away at Hospital Rockingham County's "Thin Gray Line" waavered again yesterday when death took one of the two surviving members from its all but depleted ranks, as John W. Gangwer, 95, widely-known Confederate veteram amd retired Dry River farmer died at Rockingham Memorial Hospital. Mr. Gangwer, who died at 6:30 a.m. had been a patient at the Hospital for the past year. Mr. Gangwer, who served in the Army of Northern Virginia during the War Between the States, was a familiar figure at Confederate Memorial Day services, and other Confederate gatherins until his health failed. He was well known throughout the county. A sone of Daniel and Lydia Huffman Gangwer, he was born Oct 28, 1847 in the Dry River section and spect practically his entire life there. At the end of the War Between the States he returned to farming and was thus engaged until he was forced to retire because of advanced age. He never married. In 1930 he came to live with his sister, Mrs. M. E. Wheelbarger and his nephew J. S. Wheelbarger. In 1939 he moved to Newport News with his nephew and made his home there until about a year ago when he returned to Harrisonburg. Mr. Gangwer was a member of Ottobine United Brethren Church. He is survived by one sister, Mrs. A. J. Rumsey, of Lima, Ohio, and a number of nieces and nephews. Although funeral arrangements were awaiting the arrival of relatives, burial will probably be at Ottobine Tuesday.