Dr. George Adolph Fiegenbaum

Death of Dr. Geo. A. Fiegenbaum

The dark lines of great grief rest upon all this community this week, and The Sentinel will, with painful reluctance carry it to the heart of many in the announcement that Dr. George A. Fiegenbaum, passed over the river into the great unknown beyond on Monday evening last, April 27, 1896, at the age of 41 years, his death occuring [sic] at St. Joseph's Hospital, St. Joseph, Mo., from stricture of the esophagus.  For fifteen months the deceased had been an invalid from stricture of the esophagus, and his affliction came to him while a resident of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and so great was his suffering that he was compelled to abandon his practice and seek treatment in St. Joseph and Chicago.  His physicians as well as kind and attentive friends did all in their power to bring about his recovery.  As a last resort, after an exhaustive consultation with leading specialists and his physician, it was decided the only chance was to submit to an operation, and as a consequence the patient was removed from the home of his father, Rev. Henry Fiegenbaum, of St. Joseph, to St. Joseph's hospital where the patient was prepared and on Sunday, April 26th, his physicians, took charge of the patient and the operation was skilfully [sic] performed and was a success in every particular.  The patient had been unable to take the proper nurishment [sic] for so long that he was greatly weakened, from the time of the operation, he was doing well until attacked by a spasm of coughing, which produced strangulations and from that time he continued growing weaker and weaker, until Monday evening he sank into that "sleep that knows no waking."

He was born in Galena, Illinois, January 1, 1855.  His father, Rev. Henry Fiegenbaum, now of St. Joseph, was a native of Prussia, Germany, and his mother, was a Miss Clara C. Kastenbudt, from Hanover.  George went with his parents to Wapello, Iowa, in 1860, then to Pekin, Illinois, in 1864, thence to Quincy, Illinois, in 1867, and 1870 to St. Joseph.  From St. Joseph Rev. Fiegenbaum was removed to Oregon, where he was stationed for three years, during which time the subject of this sketch was taking his collegiate course.  The deceased began life at this time for himself by clerking in a mercantile establishment.  In the fall of 1873 he went to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where he took a classical course at the Iowa Wesleyan University.  In June 1878, he graduated with high honors, the degree of A. B. being conferred.  In 1877 he commenced the study of medicine under Dr. Ray Beattie, and in the fall of 1878 he attended his first course of lectures at the St. Joseph Hospital Medical College.  By the removal of Dr. Beattie to South America, the deceased was obliged to choose another preceptor, which he found in the person of Dr. T. H. Doyle, of St. Joseph.  He graduated in the spring of 1880, and that same year the Wesleyan University conferred upon him the degree of A. M.  In July 1880, he came to Oregon and formed a partnership with Dr. Goslin, and during this partnership he was appointed county physician, this was in 1882.  He was married in October 1880, to Miss Anna B. Bradrick, a daughter of Rev. I. A. Bradrick, of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and by this union three children were born, two now living, aged seven and three years respectively, who with their mother survive.  In our half century journey on this earth, never have we seen a husband and wife live so devotedly for each other as the deceased and his now broken hearted wife.  Love was supreme with them, hence their home was what "two souls with but a single thought, two hearts that beat as one," could possibly make it here on this earth.  His venerable parents and four sisters are also left to mourn his loss. -- The sisters are Mrs. J. C. Steinmetz, of St. Joe, wife of a bookkeeper for the Nave & McCord Mercantile Company, Miss Anna Fiegenbaum, with the Townsend & Wyatt Dry Goods Company, Miss Mary Fiegenbaum, who lives at home, and Mrs. Tom Curry, of Oregon.  The deceased was a member of the Woodmen and Redmen lodges at Oklahoma City.  All the immediate relatives were in the city and were with Dr. Fiegenbaum when he died.

In the solemn presence of death love should be modest in its praise, and silence lay its finger upon the lips of flattery.  Our friend was not faultless.  He had weakenesses [sic] and imperfections; who of us have none?  But under the blessed common law of love, death always pushes faults and frailties out of sight and memory touches with brighter color every virtue and living trait of character.  We might speak of his loyal, passionate love of home, of the dear ones there; we might speak of his loyal constancy in friendship, but you who knew him have felt the warm grasp of that dead hand.  We might dwell on his open-handed generosity, but we believe that is known to us all.  We could talk of his long and heavy suffering, but we, who have been close to him know of all this, and so our thoughts and feelings and memories are more eloquent than any words we may write.

Now let us speak of the solemn significance of life which the presence of death always suggests, even to the least thoughtful.  Especially do we remember, now, these words of scripture, "in the midst of life we are death."

But dear reader of The Sentinel remember this.  No man holds a moment's lease of life.  And yet life is full of jealousies, resentments, envyings and bitterness.  Little words and acts have caused estrangement among those who ought to love each other.  Some day you mean to be generous and forgiving.  Some day you mean to take the hand you have not clasped for years.  But that day may never come to you.  "Now is the accepted time."  Now is the time for reconciliation, for the offices of love, for the blessed ministry of forgiveness, for sweet charity, the hour of true penitence.  You are waiting for tomorrow.  But the curtain may be rung down upon the last act of your life today.

Dr. Fiegenbaum had many admirable traits of character; no higher tribute could be paid to any man than to say he was incorruptible; his views may not have been right; they may not have been popular; they might even have given pain to those whom his every wish was to have saved this pain, but he was honest in his views and this honesty was steadfast to the truth as he saw it; he hated shams, despised hypocrisy, and had no patience with affectation or shallow pretense; always sincere, always thoughtful, he fully realized the imperfections of life and the short-comings of humanity; he pitied and was silent; he had faith, but that faith was not in forms or set theories, but that highest and abiding faith in the love of the Creator of Love; he was heroic in facing the end; patient and kind to all during his affliction, so that in his presence no one was aware of the mental and physical struggle he waged against pain; of fine intellect, finely developed, he was yet so retiring in disposition that only those who were closet to him insensibly were made aware of the man's remarkable ability; his mind was a great storehouse of knowledge and facts which never escaped him.

All who became well acquainted with George Fiegenbaum liked him, for he was generous, kind hearted, true to his home and loved ones and friends; sympathetic in his nature, and was always ready to do a favor or a kindness to others if in his power.  There was so much of these in his nature that endeared him to a great number, and his memory will be cherished by the many who have been made sad by his death.

Short funeral services were conducted from the family residence at 2 p. m. last Wednesday afternoon, by Rev. C. H. Harmes, pastor of the German M. E. church, St. Joseph, and by Elder J. Tanner, of Lincoln, Nebraska, a former pastor of the deceased, after which the remains were laid to rest in the family lot in Ashland cemetery, St. Joseph, to await the final resurrection.

Friends and relatives from a distance were in attendance to pay their last sad tribute of respect and love, and telegrames [sic] of condolence were also received from dear ones in far away countries.  Rev. I. A. Bradrick and wife, of Chicago, the venerable father and mother of the bereaved wife were present.