Schoharie County NYGenWeb Site

Mrs. Cynthia Cady Coons obituary

Centarian Dies at Home of Son in Middleburgh
Mrs. Cynthia Coons Had Passed 100th Birthday
April 1933

     In the death of Mrs. Cynthia Cady Coons, of Middleburgh, R. D. 1, which occurred about 7:30 o'clock Wednesday evening, April 5, at the home of her son, Frank Coons, Schoharie County lost its oldest woman resident. Mrs. Coons celebrated her 100th birthday anniversary on Nov. 16, last year.
     Mrs. Coons had enjoyed remarkably good health for a woman of her age for many years. In January of this year she was stricken with the grippe and had failed rapidly since that time. her mind remained sound until two weeks before her death.
     At the time of the observance of her 100th birthday, a family reunion was held at her son's home, and Mrs. Coons was able to sit at the table and partake of the birthday dinner. This was her last meal at a table, for since that time she was forced to take her meals in bed.
     Funeral was held at the son's home at 11 o'clock Saturday morning, the Rev. Stewart Tompkins of Keyserkill officiated, assisted by the Rev. Mr. Landing of Maplecrest. Interment made at Armlin Hill.
     Three sons survive, the one above mentioned, Harrison Coons of Hunter and Edison of Plainville, Conn.
     Mrs. Coons was the tenth child of a family of thirteen children and was born Nov. 16, 1832. At an early age she moved with her parents to Michigan, then a trip of some considerable undertaking. Of those days Mrs. Coons had a number of stories that have practically become legends among the Coons clan. Tales of Indians and their warfare and dress, campfires beside the covered wagon, pioneer villages of mud-chinked log cabins, rough single-roomed schools and slates, with the schoolmaster regarded as something of a demigod among the less learned settlers in the community he served.
     When a girl of nine years her parents died and she came back east with an uncle, who died two years later. She married Elisha Coons when she was nineteen years old and to them four children were born, a daughter Josephine and three sons Edison, Harrison and Frank. her husband died on March 12, 1912, and since that time she made her home with her son Frank and family.
     From her early years Mrs. Coons always did all kinds of hard work and never complained about the kind of work or the number of hours a day. Up to the past year she was able to wash and dress herself and comb her own hair, and her memory was good.
     Mrs. Coons was an ardent Christian and in former years she would walk many miles to attend services on Sunday. She was a charter member of the Free Methodist Church at Keyserkill.
     When interviewed last year Mrs. Coons said she believed that in this time of depression most people are not worse off than many were in the olden times. And that for the most part too many people have things too easy for them. All kinds of electrical and mechanical appliances have so softened them that they are not inured to hardship and in addition give them so much leisure that they, bored by lack of something to occupy the mind and hands, fall into evil ways. It was her belief that there have been other depressions just as bad and that the country will emerge from this one with sufficient time.

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