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William E. Daly
Died at Iowa City–Services Held Monday
William E. Daly, a native of this community and a resident here most of his life, died at a hospital in Iowa City Friday night following a chronic illness. For the past several years the family home has been at Iowa City in order to enable the younger children to attend the State University. Mention of the illness of Mr. Daly was made in these columns recently and the hope was expressed that recovery would result, but, it was known that a fatal malady consisting of internal cancer made such recovery impossible. However, there were few that knew the end was so near. Mr. Daly was always extremely cheerful and uncomplaining under any and all circumstances. Although he undoubtedly knew of the fatal nature of his illness, there was nothing in his attitude to reveal pessimism.
Mr. Daly was engaged in farming most of his life in Wayne Township and later became noted as a Chautauqua lecturer. He is survived by his widow, formerly Margaret Cavanaugh of Anamosa, and four children: two sons, Gray of Beardstown, Illinois, and Edwin of Petersburg, Illinois, and two daughters, Mrs. J.W. Mitchell of New Orleans, and Mrs. J.H. McLoone of Waseca, Minnesota. He is also survied by a brother, Philip B. Daly of Amber, and one half brother, Matthew Daly of Chicago, Illinois.
Funeral services were held from the Smykil Funeral Home in Anamosa to St. Patrick's church at 9 a.m. Monday. Father N.U. Keffeler of Watkins, Iowa, former pastor at Anamosa, solemnized the requiem high Mass and preached the funeral sermon. The reverend father paid a most eloquent tribute to the virtues of the deceased, especially to his faculties of dispensing sunshine and cheerful good will to all mankind. He spoke of the remarkable ability displayed by Mr. Daly in his career as a lecturer in which the theme of good will and cooperation between urban and rural citizens was dominant. Father Keffeler told of a characteristic act of the deceased recently when Mr. Daly called on the speaker in regard to Mrs. Daly's health, but made no mention of his own infirmities. He was alway seeking to bring cheer to others and forgetful of himself.
The large attendance of old friends from city and country testified to the esteem in which Mr. Daly was always held in this community. The casket was carried by Maurice Fay, John T. Chesire, Arthur B. White, Charles Gray, Michael Martin and C.J. Cash.
William E. Daly was born in Wayne Township 63 years ago to Philip Daly and Catherine Foley Daly, both natives of Ireland. His father came to America in 1852 residing first in New York and came to Jones County where he worked at the shoemaker's trade in Anamosa after purchasing a farm in Wayne Township. Later he retired to the farm which was his home until 1903. This farm was then divided between the two sons, P. B. Daly and the subject of this sketch. Homes for each of the two sons were established on different portions of the farm where the elder brother still resides.
Retiring from the farm a dozen years ago, Will Daly devoted his time to work on the Vawter Chautauqua circuit with assignments throughout the western states. His subject was the value of cooperation between the farmer and city dwellers, a subject presented with unequalled felicity and expression, interspersed with wit and humor.
It was not alone by public appeal that Mr. Daly advanced the present universal cooperative spirit between urban and rural inhabitants. He exemplified it by generous contributions to city enterprises while he lived on the farm. He was always ready to help both by word and by deed. He was a generous contributor for the fund for purchase of the State Park donated by citizens of Anamosa and vicinity to the state. He also deeded his interest in a tract of land included in the park and thus added the most beautiful portion of this natural beauty spot.
Mr. Daly had seen the ups and downs of the agricultural struggle from the lowest ebb to the peak of prosperity and then down again to utter collapse and later another upturn now strongly in evidence. He told the writer that the first hogs he had sold from the farm brought him $3 per hundred and during the boom he had sold one shipment at $23. Then he had witnessed the loss in a short depression of the gains made over a period of three decades.
The philosopy of union between farm and city so ably advocated by Mr. Daly attained its highest peak last week when the highest official of the nation advocated this doctrine in a memorable address from the nation's metropolis.

Submitted by: Mary Kay Kuhfittig
Source: Anamosa Euerka, 30 April 1936

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