Hannah "Lucy"
(Murray) Eicher
(1885-1965)
Hannah
"Lucy" (Murray) Eicher was born on May 12,
1885 in Normalville, Fayette County, PA, the youngest daughter of Elijah
and Hannah (Minerd) Murray.
Tragically, when Lucy was just one day old, her mother died. Eight days later, her father died, leaving Lucy an orphan, with no memory whatsoever of her parents. She and her sister Ida were adopted by a cousin, Richard S. and Mary Jane (Whetsel) Murray, formalized in 1890. Her adoptive father became tax collector of Springfield Twp., and was said by the Connellsville Daily Courier to be “regarded as one of the most thorough men ever to be in that office…."
In about 1904, Lucy gave birth to a daughter, Alverda. However, Lucy did not marry the child's father, Sherman Romesburg, who was a nearby resident.
The same year, Lucy married widower Neri Eicher Sr. (1880-1957), the son of Freeman P. and Sarah (Brooks) Eicher. They went on to have seven children who lived to adulthood – Albert N. Eicher, Charles Edward Eicher, Neri "Juke" Eicher Jr., Anna Moore, Dolly M. Richter, Mary Heck-Wolfe, and Sarah Snidemiller. They also had four children who died as infants – Clarence, Alvie, Freeman and Viola.
Lucy
and Neri, and their adult children, are seen here in an informal group
photograph, taken in September 1957.
A lifelong resident of the Normalville area, Lucy was a member of the Mount Tabor Church of God. Neri belonged to the Pleasant Hills Evangelical United Brethren Church.
Neri died at home on Dec. 22, 1957. He was buried in Mount Tabor Cemetery. At the time, he and Lucy had 32 grandchildren and 41 great-grandchildren. Lucy died in Leisenring, PA on April 26, 1965. She also was buried at Mount Tabor Cemetery. They are mentioned in the 1975 volume, Brooks History.
Daughter Alverda
Eicher married Lloyd Richter,
a lumberman, the son of Clark and Viola (Price) Richter of Connellsville. They
went on to have 13
children. Their portraits are seen at left.
Daughter Anna Eicher married Harry E. Moore. He served as plumbing inspector for the City of Connellsville, PA.
Son Charles Edward Eicher (1923-2007) was married for 61 years to Elizabeth (Ritenour) Eicher. They resided in Normalville, where Charles was a retired timberman for the Nicholson and Sons Lumber Company. They had three children -- Diane, David and Jeanie. Charles passed away at the age of 83 at the Excela Health Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland County, PA on May 26, 2007. At his death, he and Elizabeth had produced seven grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.
Daughter
Mary married Roy "Ted" Wolfe. He was a World War II Army
veteran, custodian for the Connellsville Area School District, and mechanic at
the old Opperman’s Service Station in Connellsville. At one point he survived
a terrible oil fire at the service station though seriously injured with first,
second and third degree burns.
Grandson Lester Richter was killed in 1981 when hit by a truck while walking across a street in New Stanton.
A descendant owns Eicher’s Family Home, a personal care facility, near Normalville.
We are grateful to Lucy's son Charles, daughter Sara, great-granddaughter Sylvia (Brown) Stewart and great-great granddaughter Kim (Stewart) Freed for sharing information for this biography. Click to see the Eicher names on a family tree page drawn by Lucy's first cousin, the late Agnes (Miner) Miller of Normalville.
Copyright © 2001-2002, 2007 Mark A. Miner