The newspaper obituary reads: "Mary Neve was born in Pollen, England, March 3d, 1806, the daughter of Susan and James Page. Her early life was marked with glee intermingled with hard labor. At the age of nineteen she was married to William Neve, a man of energy and action. Cheerfully she began the duties of married life, not only performing her domestic duties, but also laboring hard in the field -- deblaing, reaping and gleaning. Toiling on for a few years a little home was obtained, which was sold, and with her husband and nine children she started to America. After a nine weeks and three days' voyage they landed in New York, January 7th, 1851. Penniless and stricken with a fever they were taken to the hospital, where, while the mother lay at the point of death, three of her children were buried without her knowledge. Recovering, broken-hearted, they removed to Schenectady, N.Y., where prosperity brightened their pathway. In '54 they moved to Ionia, Mich., making payment upon land for a home. In '55 the sudden death of her husband drove her to despair. Leaving the younger children with the older ones, then married, where they were well usesd, she took to nursing the sick, and was well known as a faithful and pleasant nurse. Failing to make further payment on the land, the home was again lost. In '60, with a desire for a home, she availed herself of the Swamp Land Act, settling in Pierson, Mich. Here she suffered the life of a pioneer, but her love for the afflicted continued and many a dark night she traveled through swamps and over hedges, to aid the suffering of her own sex. Her youngest son, Robert, growing up, took charge of the place, and in '78 she deeded the homestead to him for her support and care the remainder of her life, which was done by himself and wife to the mother's satisfaction. In '81 she was stricken with a severe illness, but recovered. In '85 she went to care for her widowed son, Benjamin, and family, five miles east of her home, taking great interest in the little grand daughter who, under her care grew to be a modest and sensible Miss of sixteen, showing due respect and love for her grandmother's care. While here, in '92, falling from the cellar steps, she broke her hip and fractured her limb. With the best of care and medical aid she recovered, never to walk again without crutches. As soon as possible she was taken to her home where she suffered a severe illness in '93. Recovering, she again returned to Benjamin's in the spring. Here she fell from her crutches, breaking two ribs, and suffered from rheumatism for a time. Again she returned home for the winter which proved to be her last move of life. She has been well known through life as a plain and pleasant woman, making warm friends wherever she went and it is thought she had not an enemy. Her ways and teachings were diligence, honesty, and uprightness, obedience to the Law and the Lord. She possessed great vital and constitutional powers, and bore pain and trouble without murmuring. She had been given up to die five times by physicians; recovering to their surprise. Her reasoning powers were great, and held out to the last. Her eyesight was remarkable; without glasses she read her bible, a book of common print, that has been in use over one hundred years, now a relic as is also her sickle. She was the mother of fifteen children, the last one being born in her forty-eighth year; burying eight in childhood, and only four survive her. She has twenty-three grand and thirty great-grand-children. She mourned the death of twenty-four relatives of her family. She was much devoted to her entire family, for which they loved her dearly, bringing their little ones for miles to receive the blessings of their aged parent. Her religion began early in life and the lamp was kept burning by prayer. Her views of the bible were broad, but the way narrow and easy, believing that those who seek "in faith believing" would be saved regardless of church or creed. Her walk was with the M. E. church, but she sought her saviour through her bible and closet prayer, finding him a comfort in the trials of life, in faith believing that she would be at rest, she trusted him to the last. Her last sickness began with la grippe, terminating in lung and brain trouble. Friends and relatives came to her aid and medical skill was employed, still the hard breathing and slight delirum prevailed. Growing near the last she was unable to speak, but showed signs of knosing her friends and a willing readiness to go. Breathing easier she quietly dropped asleep in death at 1 o'clock A.M., Jan 7th, 1894, making her age 87 years, 10 months and 4 days. Rev. S.W. LaDu presided at the funeral, Jan. 9th, reading from the old bible, Mark 16th chapter, and speaking ably to a large number of friends and relatives about the Christian's knowledge of the Hereafter. Her remiains were buried in the Pierson cemetery.