Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Shay, Bernard T. 1920
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Marilyn Ransom mlnransom@chartermi.net August 1, 2011, 3:00 pm

The Portland Observer, Thursday, January 15, 1920

News that Bernard T. Shay, popular young clerk at Bywater’s drug store, had 
passed away at 2:45 o’clock this morning at the home of his parents, Mr. and 
Mrs. James Shay, a mile west of Portland, enshrouded the whole community with 
grief.  The young man had been tottering on the brink of death since the fore 
part of the week, and while there were times when he seemed to have a fighting 
chance for recovery, those around his bedside had practically despaired of 
hope from the very start.  Blood poisoning, developing from an ulcerated 
tooth, cause his untimely demise.  He had been delirious most of the time for 
the past two days, but in his rational hours it was apparent that he fully 
realized his condition and fully expected to be taken away.

Mr. Shay suffered all of last week with an ulcerated tooth, and on Thursday he 
went to the office of Dr. S. A. Horning and had it extracted.  The cavity bled 
almost incessantly from that time until Saturday night, notwithstanding the 
fact that every effort was put forth by Dr. Horning and Dr. Robert A. Alton, 
the young man’s physician, to stop it.  During this time Mr. Shay became very 
weak from loss of blood, impairing his chance for recovery, but according to 
his physician blood poisoning had developed before the tooth was extracted and 
the infection had been carried to every part of his system.  His fate, 
consequently, was sealed from the very start.

During the two years that he had been in the employ of Carl D. Bywater as a 
drug clerk, prior to and after the war, Mr. Shay had attracted to his side 
more than the usual number of friends.  Always greeting people and going about 
in his same, quiet, unassuming way, his personality acted as a magnet and 
inspired confidence.  He was a big asset to his employer, who is greatly 
depressed over the sad outcome.

Mr. Shay would have been 25 years of age had he lived until the 20th of the 
current month, having been born in Belding, Michigan, January 20, 1895.  He 
obtained his early grade education in the Belding schools and his high school 
education in Chicago, where the family resided for a period of 12 years.  
Seven years ago the Shays came to Orange township and settled on Charles 
Larkin’s farm, Bernard following them here from Chicago soon afterward.  The 
family resided in the Orange neighborhood until about a year ago, when they 
moved to the R. P. Baldwin farm, a mile west of the village., where Mr. Shay 
died this morning.

Bernard wore the khaki uniform of a United States soldier during the late war 
with Germany, serving at Camp Custer, Camp Dix, N.J., and Fort Niagara, N.Y.  
He was a member of the 14th division and held the rank of corporal.  He was 
called into the service April 25, 1918, and honorably discharged December 26, 
1918, returning to Portland to take his old position at Bywater’s.  He was a 
member of the Odd Fellow lodge and American Legion society, of Portland, and 
will be buried in his army uniform.

Besides his parents, who are crushed with grief over the sad affair, Mr. Shay 
is survived by four sisters and two brothers: Mrs. Roy Newkirk, of Detroit, 
Mrs. Arthur Summers, of Chicago, John, Florence, Allen and Dorothy Shay, 
living at home.

Funeral services for Mr. Shay are to be held at St. Patrick’s church Saturday 
morning at 9:00 o’clock, with burial following in the Portland cemetery. Rev. 
John A. Koelzer will officiate, and members of the Odd Fellows and American 
Legion society will attend the last rites in a body.


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