Ada Draper was born September 29, 1882 to Richard and Carolyn Laury in Bates county, Missouri and passed away Friday, March 3, at 7 p.m. in the Comanche County Hospital.Mrs. Draper was one of an early day Barber county family consisting of 10 children, Ada came here with her parents, the late Daniel and Carolyn Laury, in 1887. The family settled on a ranch which her father preempted seven miles west of Medicine Lodge where she grew up. She attended the Dolds school and Normal school in Medicine Lodge.
On June 8, 1902 she was united in marriage with Lew Draper in the home of Rev. J. W. Shamberger, north of the Mingona school house. After the ceremony, they left by horse and buggy to go to a ranch in Oklahoma, nine miles south of Aetna. They lived there several years and moved back to Barber county on the Taylor Nichols ranch six miles east of Lake City. The remainder of her life was spent in the Lake City and Deerhead communities except for five years that she spent on a ranch in Comanche county.
At an early age Mrs. Draper was baptized with her parents in the Medicine River west of Medicine Lodge and united with the Christian church in Medicine Lodge and kept her membership until about 10 years ago when she moved her membership to the Methodist church in Lake City. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star chapter and Rebekah Lodge in Medicine Lodge. She was Worthy Matron of OES in Lake City in 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1949.
To this union were born three children, Eva Mills, Mima Mills, and Norman Draper. She was preceded in death by her husband and son. She is survived by her daughters, Mrs. W. C. Mills and her family and Mrs. Tempel Mills and her family and one brother, A. H. Laury of Emporia. One granddaughter, Tonkaja Mills McElyes of Phoenix; two grandson, Huston Mills and Bill Mills, Jr.; four great grandchildren, Robin Warren, Tim McElyea, Husty Mills and Vickie Jo Mills; three great great grandchildren, Tammy Kay, Margaret Jo and Kendell Jay Warren and a host of friends and relatives. This ends the five generations of the Draper family.
Mrs. Draper spent the past four years of her life in The Pioneer Lodge in Coldwater.
The family remembers her with the following poem:
She always leaned to watch for us
Anxious if we were late,
In winter by the window
In summer by the gate.
And though we mocked her tenderly,
Who had such foolish care.
The long way home would seem more safe.
Because she waited there.
Her thoughts were all so full of us,
She never could forget;
And so I think that where she is,
She must be watching yet.
Waiting till we come home to her,
Anxious if we are late
Watching from heaven's window
Leaning from Heaven's gate.
Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and contributing the above news article to this web site!
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