He died as he had always lived - quietly, peacefully and beautifully, being so well prepared to meet his Lord and God, having with his wife, been a daily attendant at Holy Mass and also a daily communicant. In his home he is survived by his good wife Lulu, and three sons, Ross of Milwaukee, George of Gillett and James who is in active service, and was in Cairo, Egypt when the death message reached him, and in spite of all efforts to reach home in time for the funeral, arrived too late. Also surviving are two daughter-in-laws, Mrs. Ross Grady and three children and Mrs. George Grady and three children, they youngest having been born the Monday before his death.
His good and faithful wife was alone with him at the time of his death and it was a great shock to her. It all happened so quickly. He retired the evening before feeling well, after a good days work remodeling his home, and he awakened at 4:00 o’clock with a severe pain in his chest, but talked right along and Mrs. Grady administered everything that had previously been beneficial, and wanted to call the doctor, but it all happened so fast, and in one half hour, he said, “I’m better, the pain has left entirely, - and she stepped into the next room, and then heard a sound that startled her and called him and rushed back calling his name, but there was no response, then she knew he was going. She called the priest and doctor and their next-door neighbor. The three were there almost at once. The doctor pronounced him dead. The priest performed his spiritual duties, and all was over. Herb had answered the final call. He died in the arms of his wife. George arrived in a very short time.
The relatives, neighbors, and all of their friends at Oconto Falls were just wonderfully kind as also were the old time ones from Gillett where they had lived so many years. They all just seemed to think of everything and doing so many beautiful helpful things.
His body lay in state at the O’Neill funeral home from Thursday until Monday morning at nine when the Requiem High Mass was offered at St. Anthony’s Catholic church, Father Labno officiated.
During Herb’s life, he saw Gillett grow from a vast wooded land to a thriving farm country. In his younger days he attended college in Valparaiso, Ind., where he majored in expert accounting. Later he bought the old John Murphy farm, then operated by Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Zirzow Sr., where he and his family lived until 1945 when he retired and bought the present home on Franklin Street in Oconto Falls.
Herb will be terribly missed by his wife, as they had been alone for quite some time. A long life together, having been married June 11, 1913. His wife was the former Lulu Hagen, Daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. George B. Hagen of Advance.
Friends and relatives were present from Chicago, Wausau, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Oconto, Sobieski, Gillett, Underhill, Mosling, Clintonville, Shawano, Lakewood, Suring, Spruce, Advance and Cecil.
Burial was in the family lot in the Gillett cemetery.