On Friday, December 5, Mr. Willis E. Massengill died at the ripe age of 69 years.
Mr. Massengill was the so of Robert E. and Martha Massengill and was born in 1855. His father having died prior to his birth, he faced the disadvantages of being reared by a widowed mother. The many hardships and trials of his boyhood left their marks upon his life, resulting in a strong and firm character.
At the age of 22 he was married to Martha E. Lassiter. To this happy union were born five children. The oldest, Arthelfus, died when a boy. His wife’s death preceded his only five months.
The deceased is survived by three sons, Messrs. W.A., I.M. and W.C. Massengill, and one daughter, Mrs. W.A. Allen. Two sons, Messrs. W.A. and I.M., are in the mercantile business at Four Oaks, and one son, Mr. W.C. Massengill, is a farmer near Four Oaks. Mrs. Allen is the wife of a farmer near Four Oaks.
Mr. Massengill made a profession of faith in Christ when just a young man and lived a conscientious Christin life until the end. He united with the Four Oaks Primitive Baptist church several years ago and was a faithful member until his health failed three years ago. He was noted in the community for his moral uprightness, never yielding to the popular evils of the drink, dance and curse habits. Early in his married life he erected a family altar, thus creating a Christian atmosphere in which his children were reared, an at of his for which they are very grateful today.
Funeral services were held at the home of Mr. W.C. Massengill. The services were conducted by his pastor, Elder A.D. Johnson of Coats, assisted by Elder Macon Brantley of Spring Hope and Rev. J.A. Ivey of Four Oaks. The funeral was attended by a host of relatives and friends and the body was interred in the family cemetery near by.
--Jas. A. Ivey
From the front page of The Smithfield Herald, Friday, Dec. 12, 1924
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073982/1924-12-12/ed-1/seq-1/
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