KEAY, Anna

SLEEPING SICKNESS FATAL

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Death Comes To Miss Anna
Keay Following Brief Illness

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Not in years has this community been more severely shocked than it was by the death of Miss Ann Keay Wednesday evening at 7 o’­clock. Only a very few of Miss Keay’s friends knew of her illness and even the members of her family did not realize that she was fatally ill until Wednesday morning. Her death was caused by sleeping sickness, a strange inflammation of the brain. This is the first case of the disease which has developed in Johnson county. According to Dr. R. W. Payne, who attended Miss Keay, the germs the disease appeared with influenza organisms last winter. Sev­eral hundred cases have been re­ported in this country but rarely has death followed so suddenly as it did in the case of Miss Keay. She had complained of a pain at the back of her head for several days and Sunday she developed double vis­ion, the first definite symptom of sleeping sickness. She had been in a semi-conscious delirium since Monday but until Wednesday it was believed she was improving. Miss Keay suffered from a severe attack of influenza last March and had never regained nor­mal resistance.

Anna Keay was born in Needham township August 31, 1885 and was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Keay. She graduated from Franklin high school in 1904 and for two years was a student in Franklin Col­lege where she was a member of the Alpha Gamma Sorority, which later became the local chapter of Delta Delta Delta. For the last four years, Miss Keay had been employed at the Voris store. In speaking of her work there, A. D. Harb, manager of the department, said that the store never had had a more loyal or more consistently satisfactory employee. “She was an un­usual girl”, said Mr. Harb, “always pleasant, always willing, always working. Her death cast a gloom over the whole store.”

Miss Keay had lead a beautiful Christian life. She was a member of the Baptist church and for several years had been a teacher in the Primary department of the Baptist Sunday school. She was unusually successful with the primary tots, all of whom loved her dearly. Although she will be sorely missed by her family and friends, her death has brought inexpressible grief to her sister, Mrs. Mark Webb. Their lives had been so closely interwoven that the sudden parting, for which Mrs. Webb was so unprepared, has pros­trated her. The affection, de­votion and co-operation of the two sisters was a source of joy to all who knew them.

Miss Keay is survived by her sister, Mrs. Webb; a brother, Charles Keay; her father, her step-mother and her step-sister, Mrs. Ird Valen­tine.

The body will be taken Saturday morning to the home of Mrs. Ird Valentine, on South Forsyth street where funeral services will be held Saturday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock. Dr. T. H. Kent will have charge of the services and will be assisted by the Rev. G. C. Chandler. Burial will be in the family lot in Greenlawn Cemetery, beside the body of Miss Keay’s mother, who died in 1902.

Friends may call at the Webb home on North Main street any time before Saturday morning and at the Valentine home from 10 o’­clock Saturday morning until the funeral hour.

Franklin Evening Star, Friday, January 23, 1920, page 1

Funeral of Miss Anna Keay.

Funeral services of Miss Anna Keay will be held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ird Valentine, Saturday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock, conducted by the Rev. T. H. Kent, who will be assisted by the Rev. G. C. Chandler. The body will be taken Saturday morning from the home of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Webb to the Valentine home. Burial will be in Greenlawn cemetery.

Submitted by Lois Johnson