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Grace
(Gaither) Reiber |
Grace (Gaither) Reiber was born on Dec. 7, 1873 near Chalk Hill, Fayette County, PA, the daughter of Hannah M. Minerd. The identity of her father is not known.
Grace was baptized at age five on March 15, 1879 at the Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church. When Grace was 15, her mother married William Alexander Gaither, who adopted her as his own. Her name is handwritten at the top of the "Births" section of the family Bible.
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Grace's birth written in the family Bible |
Grace had many friends whom she enjoyed going to see. The Uniontown Genius of Liberty reported that she had visited Anna Hartman in Uniontown in March 1890 and Bina Johnson in Ohiopyle, PA in October 1890.
On April 9, 1903, at age 28, Grace married 30-year-old George Andrew Reiber (1873-1933), a native of Somerset County, PA. He was the son of Solomon and Elizabeth (Huff) Reiber, residing at the time in Hopwood, Fayette County.
They bore a family of five children -- Grace Reiber, Ida Reiber, Mabel Reiber, Carl Gaither Reiber and Annabelle Hall.
Right after marriage, the Reibers lived at the Oliver No. 3 coke plant, and then at the birth of their daughter Mabel in 1909 were at Oliver No. 1.
Later, they found a residence at 18 Walnut Street and in April 1932 relocated to 2 Markle Street in Uniontown. They belonged to the First Methodist Church, also known as Christ's Methodist Church. George was a member of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics (JOUAM).
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Morgantown
Street in Uniontown, early 1900s |
Their home in 1933 was at 2 Markle Street.
Sadly, George was afflicted with a host of physical ailments, among them chronic nephritis (kidney disease), hypertension, chronic myocarditis (heart disease), arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and acute pericarditis (swelling of heart tissues). He died at age 60 on June 3, 1933 in the family home.
Grace outlived her husband by 13 years. She endured the untimely death of their daughter Mabel in the summer of 1940.
Grace passed away in her home on Sept. 14, 1946. They are buried at Sylvan Heights Cemetery.
~ Daughter Grace Irene Reiber ~
Daughter Grace Irene Reiber (1905-1993) was born in 1905.
She was a sales clerk for Fashion Hosiery Shops in Uniontown. She often traveled to Pittsburgh to attend fashion business meetings, including one held in the Fort Pitt Hotel in March 1953.
She never married.
She died on Jan. 23, 1993, at the age of 88.
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Graves of the sisters at Uniontown's Sylvan Heights Cemetery |
~ Daughter Ida Marie Reiber ~
Daughter Ida Marie Reiber (1907-1963) was born on Jan. 16, 1907. She never married.
Ida was a member of the Christ Methodist Church in Uniontown. She maintained a home at 6 Markle Street.
She passed away on May 9, 1963, at the age of 56. Following services at the Harold S. Gleason Funeral Home, led by Rev. O.G. Shindledecker, she was laid to rest in Sylvan Heights Cemetery.
~ Daughter Mabel B. Reiber ~
Daughter Mabel B. Reiber (1909-1940) was born on Sept. 4, 1909 in company housing at Oliver No. 1 mine near Uniontown.
She never married and at the age of 30 had no occupation, living at home with her widowed mother at 2 Markle Street in Uniontown.
As with her late father, Mabel endured a host of physical problems. They ranged from chronic kidney disease to fatty spleen leading to a widespread infection of deadly peritonitis.
She died on Aug. 8, 1940, at the age of 30, in Uniontown Hospital. In a short obituary, the Uniontown Morning Herald said she had suffered "a lingering illness." She was laid to rest in Sylvan Heights Cemetery, following funeral services led by Rev. J.W. Schell of Christ Methodist Church.
~ Son Carl Gaither Reiber ~
Son Carl Gaither Reiber (1912-1971) was born in 1912.
He married Frances Louise Foster ( ? - ? ), daughter of George W. and Ada (Burnham) Foster of Millview Street in Uniontown. The ceremony was held in the Asbury Methodist Church in Uniontown, officiated by Dr. Francis E. Kearns on June 27, 1943. At the time, Carl was employed with the Merle J. Thomas Service Station in Uniontown, and Frances with the G.C. Murphy Store.
The couple had at least two children, Carl Gaither Reiber Jr. and Charlotte Reiber.
They resided on Millview Street in Uniontown.
Carl was a veteran of World War II. He and Frances received devastating news in 1945 when Frances' brother, Charles B. Foster, was killed in action during World War II.
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Oak Grove Cemetery, Uniontown |
By 1952, Carl was in partnership with Joseph Zeppo in operating the former Thomas service station. They went by the name "Reiber & Zeppo Atlantic Service," with the business located at the corner of Pittsburgh and Penn Streets. Carl later purchased Zeppo's interest outright, and renamed the business "Reiber Atlantic Service."
Circa 1963, Frances was active with the PTA at Gallatin School in Uniontown, and participated in meetings as devotional leader.
Tragedy struck the family on Oct. 12, 1971. While working with a power saw in his basement, Carl slipped, and the spinning sawblade cut open his throat. Bleeding profusely, he was taken to Uniontown Hospital, where he was dead on arrival. He was laid to rest in Oak Grove Cemetery. Traveling from Maryland to attend the funeral were nephew Dale Hall and his wife and children.
Frances' fate will be added here once learned.
Son Carl Gaither Reiber Jr. ( ? - ? )
Daughter Charlotte Reiber ( ? - ? )
~ Daughter Annabelle (Reiber) Hall ~
Daughter Annabelle Reiber (1912-2004) was born on Dec. 1, 1912 in Oliver, Fayette County.
She married Francis Hall ( ? - ? ) on May 23 (?). They had three children -- Beverly Faye Duffy, Dale Hall and Tammy Lynn Freeman.
Circa 1952-1973, they lived at 90 Dawson Avenue in Uniontown. Francis was employed for 31 years with Sears, Roebuck & Company in Uniontown. He began in 1942 and retired in February 1973.
When principal Mary K. Johnson retired from the Gallatin School in Uniontown, in May 1960, Annabelle helped the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) plan a farewell testimonial as reception chairman. She was pictured with the committee in the Uniontown Evening Standard. She also was a member of Christ United Methodist Church.
Annabelle spent her final years in a nursing home in Markleysburg, Fayette County. She died in Uniontown Hospital at the age of 91 on April 1, 2004. At her death, reported the Uniontown Herald-Standard, she was survived by six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Daughter Beverly Faye Hall ( ? - ? ) married William Duffy. Their home in 1973 was in Masontown, Fayette County. They lived in Uniontown in 2004.
Son Dale Hall ( ? - ? ) married Jane and had two children, Beth Hall and Douglas "Dougie" Hall. They resided in Bowie, MD in 1971 and in Frederick, MD in 2004.
Daughter Tammy Hall ( ? - ? ) married (?) Freeman. She resided in 2004 in Harrisonburg, VA.
Copyright © 2001, 2004, 2012, 2020 Mark A. Miner