St. Clair County Obits

JOHN SMITH WILKERSON

Appleton City Journal
Thursday, 26 February 1914
John Smith Wilkerson, better known to the public as Pete Wilkerson, died at his home 3 ½ miles northeast of Appleton City, Mo., February 17, 1914, of blood poison resulting from a surgical operation.
A wife and four children, a widowed mother, three brothers, five sisters and a host of loving and sympathetic friends are suffering aching hearts as a result of his comparatively, untimely death and our irreparable loss. In his death we behold another demonstration of the bitter enmity existing between the two opposing forces, life and death.
We note how that with ruthless hand he robs a helpless child of a father, a dependent wife of a husband, an aged mother of her first born, a family of the sweet and sacred relation of a brother. But the eye of faith is made glad by its power to penetrate dark cloud and beloved its silver lining.
Our minds revert back to 1906, when his outward action gave expression to an inward condition. Our observations have followed him in his daily walk in the ranks of The Church of God.
Our memories bring us pleasant thoughts of the 17th day of August being made sacred by the marriage to Susie Casey, a relation that has never been dishonored by word nor deed. May our future meditation feed on the blessed thought that much as we regret his irreparable loss we rejoice to know that just across the river he is resting in the shade of trees a waiting the coming host of the people of God whose song of victory is: Death where is thy sting? Grave where is thy victory?
H.E.C.