Nathaniel Weldon Silver, of Wallowa, a retired planerman and edgerman, passed away Monday, November 11, 1963 at Wallowa Memorial Hospital where he had been a patient for two weeks. He had been in failing health for the two past years and bedfast for seven months.
He was the son of Samuel M. and Amanda E. Silver, early pioneers of Wallowa county, and was born August 20, 1881 at Burnsville, North Carolina. He had lived in Wallowa county for the past seventy years. For many years he was employed at Bowman-Hicks Lumber Company and J. Herbert Bates mill. On December 25, 1904 he was married at Bartlett to Leila Josephine Smith who survives him. He was a member of the Christian church.
He is survived by two sons: Jake and Ralph of Wallowa; three daughters: Mrs. Matt (Bessie) Nelson, of Los Angeles, Calif., Mrs. E.V. (Effie) Lewis of La Grande, and Mrs. Ira (Lois) Rhodes, of Wallowa; one sister, Mrs. Joe (Bessie) Friddles of Troy; nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were conducted yesterday (Wednesday) at 2 p.m. by the Bollman Funeral home from the Wallowa Christian Church, with Rev. Frank Needles officiating. Mrs. Don Scott was organist and soloist, and sang “The Old Rugged Cross” and “Shall We Gather At The River.”
Casket bearers were: E.J. Hook, W.G. Collins, Verdo Baird, Roland McCrae, Fred Gray, and Marion McCrae. Internment was in the Bramlett Memorial cemetery near Wallowa.
Source: Wallowa County Chieftain, November 14, 1963, Front Page.
Contributed by: Sue Wells