St. Clair County Obits

SABRA ROSBRUGH RICHESON

Clinton Daily Democrat
June 1997
Sabra (Rosbrugh) Richeson was born November 26, 1891, and died June 14, 1997, in Girard, Illinois, at 105 years of age. She was born near Taberville, the youngest of four children of William S. Rosbrugh, Sr. and Sarah Elizabeth (Allison) Rosbrugh. Sabra, with her family, regularly worshipped God in the Mt. Zion Methodist Church near their farm house. Her grandparents helped build the church which still stands and continues to be used for Christian worship each Sunday. Sabra professed faith in Christ at the age of nine and became a member. At age six she started attending the rural Hoover School near her home. As a late teenager she continued her education at the Appleton City Academy and Warrensburg State Teachers College. She was a school teacher in the one-room rural schools for four winters before marriage. May 9, 1916, she married Willard Richeson with the wedding conducted in the same house where she was born. They made their home on the St. Clair-Henry County line in rural Deepwater. Sabra built her home on her faith in God and attended the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church with her husband, Willard, and his family. Willard's father, Wood Richeson, helped his father, brothers and uncle's family build the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church building. This building still has a group of worshipers meeting there each Sunday. Both buildings stand as a monument of God's grace and the faithfulness of His children. Sabra loved to teach children, always a Sunday school teacher and for several years had a Bible club in her home for the neighborhood children. She taught in vacation Bible school the last time during the summer when she was 100 years old. Sabra was preceded in death by her husband; her brothers, John and William Jr., and her sister Alma. Survivors include her daughters, Mrs. Elizabeth Skaggs of Girard, Illinois, and Mrs. Doris Hilty of Downey, California; seven grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren. Funeral services were at the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, Deepwater, Wednesday, June 18, at 11 a.m. Hill & Son Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. Rev. Robert Reed officiated. Pallbearers were Leroy Meredith, Bob Hilte, Harvey Dunning, Larry Dunning, Dudley Wareham and Donald Howard. Burial was in Appleton City Cemetery.