A sad occurrence which
caused widespread concern and sorrow was the death on Saturday, May 20,
1911, of Mr. Minor Secord, son of the late James Secord, after a week's
illness following an operation for appendisitis, and the woeful pity of
it was that it had been too long delayed.
Mr. Secord, who was in his 36th
year, had been suffering for some time, and being in Simcoe on the
Saturday, consulted Dr. Bowlby, who, seeing his serious condition,
advised his returning home with as little delay as possible.
At 10 o'clock on Sunday morning
Dr. Bennetto was in attendance, but could not gain his patient's consent
to an operation until late in the afternoon, when Drs. Bennetto, Bowlby
and Stanton performed the operation. The physicians saw at once,
however, that it was a hopeless case.
Yet his vitality and pluck were
remarkable, [existing] the wonder and admiration of doctors and
attendants, and at times raising hope that he might possibly recover.
While from the first he was perfectly resigned to the Divine will,
he fought hard for life. Miss Granger, a graduate nurse from Clinton,
was in attendance. All that doctors, nurse and loving friends could do
was done to alleviate, but through the weary, anxious wack the dying man
was the most courageous and cheerful of all.
The deceased was born, and spent
his early life, near Forestville. Then for several years he made his
home with Mr. Charles Dunkin, with mutual satisfaction to all concerned,
[h]is sunny, unselfish nature emdearing him to the family he so faithfully
served.
He had been been happily married
for nearly five years to Etta, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Deming. Much sympathy is felt for the young stricten wife, more
especialy as she has never been strong, making her last and more
affliction harder to bear.
The funeral took place Monday
afternoon and was very largely attended. The floral offerings were many
and morst beautiful. The Rev. E. L. Tedford, of Toronto, held a service
at the house reading parts of the first and fourtheenth chapters of St.
John, giving an elequent address from that foundation.
The Presbyterian choir sang,
assisted by Messrs. Kitchen and Foffmann, the dear old hymn,
"Asleep in Jesus" and "Safe in the Arms of Jesus."
The bearers were of the
deceased's own choosing: Messrs. Alex. Hutchison, Chas. Walsh,
brother-in-law, Arthur and Edward Reeves, John Booth and Alzonso
McKnight. Interment was make in the Vittoria Presbyterian cemetery, the
Rev. E. L. Tedford and Rev. J. Robertson conducting the service at the
grave.
Mr. Secord had attended the
Presbyterian Church for a number of years. In politics he was a
Conversative. ...
