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Philip B. Daly
Rites Held Saturday at Catholic Church
Amber Area—Philip B. Daly, 88, Anamosa, died Wednesday, Dec. 11, at Mercy hospital in Anamosa, following a stroke suffered Nov. 25. Funeral was held Saturday, Dec. 14, at 10 a.m. from St. Patrick's Catholic church at Anamosa. Solemn Requiem mass was sung by Mr. Daly's son, Rev. John P. Daly, S.J., Decatur, Ill. Interment was in Holy Cross cemetery at Anamosa.

Life Outlined
On July 17, 1869, Mr. Daly was born on the farm, some five miles east of Anamosa, and in the house which was his home until his retirement in 1950.
He was the fifth of six children born to Philip Daly, Sr., and the first of two sons born to Mr. Daly's second wife. His father had immigrated from Ireland in 1849 and settled first at Syracuse, N.Y. where he learned the shoe trade. Later he moved to Dubuque and Anamosa where he maintained a shop for several years.
In 1856 he purchased the farm where he remained until his retirement to Anamosa in 1895. Mr. Daly's mother was likewise a native of Ireland, coming to America at 14 and settling at Wall Lake, Iowa.

Education Told
As a farm boy, Phil Daly received more than an average education considering the times. After a few winter terms at the country school of Midland in Jackson township, Jones county, Iowa (one of the few country schools in operation after a hundred years) he spent two winters at Mrs. Springer's academy in Anamosa. Following year he studied at Cascade, then at the Normal school at Dixon, Ill, in 1887. During the next two years he taught at Castle Grove and Olin.
In 1890 he journeyed to New York and was fond of telling years later of the impressive sight of the "new" Brooklyn bridge. Mr. Daly revisited New York in 1949 and was even more impressed at the tremendous change in 59 years. On his return to Iowa he taught one more year and then sold school books through western Iowa and Minnesota.

Travels Recounted
After a visit to the great Columbian exposition in Chicago in 1893 he settled down on a farm in Wayne township for a year before returning to his father's farm in 1894. With the retirement of his father, he and his younger brother, Will, farmed to 240 acres together until the partnership was dissolved in 1898.
Then for the next 52 years, Phil Daly farmed the farm of his birth, five miles east of Anamosa and three miles from the town of Amber. In 1903, he marrieed Lena Bradley at Amber. Mrs. Daly died in 1950.

Amber Served
Although running a large farm, Mr. Daly was active in the affairs of Amber. He was largely responsible for the re-organization of the Sanford creamery in 1906 as a Farmers' Co-operative. In 1910 he became secretary of the creamery, a position he held until 1943. He was one of the prime movers in the building of a new creamery in 1913, and the opening of a savings bank of which he became the first cashier.
Until his retirement in 1950 to Anamosa, Mr. Daly was a well-known figure throughout the Anamosa-Amber area. He served many years on the local election boards, held many township offices, and was treasurer of the school boards.

Music Enjoyed
Mr. Daly frequently was called to "fiddle" at the country dances, and his favorite pastime at home was playing old jigs and reels on the piano.
He took pride in keeping up with the times. One of the first cars in the neighborhood was the red Stevens of P. B. Daly; he had one of the first wax-cylinder phonographs and one of the first radios. He experimented continually with new crops on his farm. He had a knack of knowing how to finish up a car load or two of steers for the Chicago markets which sold near the top.

Church Served
He was active in St. Patrick's Catholic church at Anamosa where he served as [?] for more than 40 years.
Mr. Daly is survived by one son, Rev. John P. Daly, S.J., Decatur, Ill., and two daughters, Sister Mary Marcellin, BVM, Dubuque, and Mrs. Milton Langer, Cedar Rapids, and four grandchildren, Barbara, Michael, James and John.

Submitted by: Mary Kay Kuhfittig
Source: Anamosa Euerka, 19 December 1957

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Last updated on Friday, 16-Apr-2021 16:55:45 MST