, former merchant of Sterling and well known citizen of this community for 68 years, passed away this morning at 4 o’clock at the home of his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Edward C. Goshert, 409 Fourth avenue. Mr. Carolus, despite his years, enjoyed fair health during the summer and was able to celebrate his eighty-fourth birthday last July without many of the handicaps that frequently accompany the passing of more than four score years of life. He became ill three weeks ago and pneumonia developed. While he had practically recovered from pneumonia, his heart was so weakened by his illness that he was unable to regain strength and he gradually grew weaker until the end. Funeral services will be held Thursday [11/08/1928] afternoon at 2:15 o’clock at the family home, 409 Fourth avenue, and at 2:30 o’clock in St. John’s Lutheran church. Dr. E. C. Harris will be in charge of the services and interment will be in Riverside cemetery.
Jeremiah K. Carolus was born July 23, 1844 in Franklin county near Chambersburg, Pa., and came west with his parents, George and Elizabeth Kuhn Carolus, in April of 1860. For a time he worked on farms and for three years was engaged in carpenter work in Sterling. In 1866 he and his brother-in-law, Samuel Greenawalt, formed a partnership and operated a general store at Emerson, then known as Empire, and in 1881 they began operating a grain elevator at Galt Station, later establishing a branch at Round Grove. In 1890 Mr. Carolus and his son, Herbert J. Carolus, began a partnership in the grocery business in Sterling which continued for 21 years, their store being located on East Third street between Sixth and Seventh avenues. In 1911 Mr. Carolus retired and his son moved to the west coast, where he is now proprietor of a grocery in Seattle, Wash. On Nov. 28, 1872, Mr. Carolus was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Lytle, daughter of Joseph and Louisa Lytle, pioneers of Hopkins township. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Mr. Lipe on Thanksgiving day at the Lytle homestead north of Emerson. Mrs. Carolus preceded her husband in death July 1, 1916. Their four children are George Carolus, Mrs. Edith M. Dieterle, wife of John G. Dieterle, Mrs. Anna Goshert, wife of Edward C. Goshert, all of Sterling, and Herbert J. Carolus of Seattle, Wash. There are seven grandchildren. Only one brother, Emanuel Carolus of Chicago, youngest of the family, is now left of the 10 children born to Mr. and Carolus’ parents. Mr. Carolus was active in church work all of his life. Before beginning his business in Sterling, he was secretary of the Lutheran Sunday school at Emerson for many years. He transferred his membership to St. John’s church upon coming to Sterling and continued active in church work in this city. He live a long and useful life and his memory will be preserved by a multitude of friends who have long held him in high respect and esteem.
Second Obit: Faithfulness is the crowning characteristic of any service rendered as it is also of any life lived. A man may acquire knowledge in encyclopedic proportions but if he is not faithful, he has failed to learn life’s greatest lesson. He may amass a great fortune but if he possess wealth at the expense of faithfulness to higher and holier values, in the end he is a spiritual pauper. He may be gifted with ten talents, and be skillful in many directions of achievement but if he lacks the quality of faithfulness which gives quality to any work at last we much say as a workman he is a failure, and there is in his record that of which he should be ashamed. The Master Teacher of men never gave higher tribute than when He said, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” It is a word to say when the life is over, the task done, and it is a true and fitting word to say now. J. K. Carolus was born near Chambersburg, Franklin Co., Pa., July 23, 1844, and died at his home, 409 4th Avenue, Sterling, Ill., Nov. 6, 1928, aged 84 years, 3 months, and 13 days. He was next to the youngest of the ten children of George and Elizabeth Kuhn Carolus, there being six sons and four daughters in the family. All have preceded Mr. Carolus in death, except his youngest brother, Emmanuel, now living in Chicago. The father passed away in 1858, and the mother and children came west to Emerson, then known as “Empire,” in the year 1860. They lived in the home west of the Emerson store now occupied by Mrs. Pittman and her son, Mr. Carolus working for three years at the carpenter trade in Sterling, In 1866 he and his brother-in-law, Samuel Greenawalt, were the proprietors of the general store in Emerson, for a time living in the apartments above the store. In 1881, the firm purchased the grain elevator at Galt and another at Round Grove, operating them for about ten years. Nov. 27, Thanksgiving Day, 1872, Mr. Carolus was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Lytle, daughter of Joseph and Louisa Lytle, pioneers of Hopkins township. Rev. W. A. Lipe, then pastor of St. John’s church, performed the ceremony at the bride’s home north of Emerson. To them five children were born, one son dying in infancy.
The children living are : George L. Carolus, 501 Seventh ave.; Edith M., wife of John G. Deiterle, 612 Third ave.; Anna G. wife of Edward C. Goshert, 409 Fourth ave., all three of Sterling; and Herbert J. Carolus, next to the oldest in Seattle, Wash. Their mother was taken by death, July 1, 1916, at the age of 71 years, 9 months and 28 days. In 1890, Mr. Carolus and his family moved to Sterling living on Seventh ave. for two years, and the balance of his life, at 409 Fourth ave. He and his son Herbert conducted a partnership grocery business on East Third st., between Sixth and Seventh ave., for nearly thirty years, retiring from active business in 1920 since then the son has operated a grocery store in Seattle, Wash. Mr. Carolus’ fraternal connection was with the I. O. O. F., uniting with Walter Stager when he was twenty one years of age, and with the exception of one brief break in membership has been active for over fifty years. His first church connection was with the Emerson Lutheran church, being a secretary in the Bible school and occupying the office of deacon for nearly three decades. He and Mrs. Carolus were transferred by letter to St. John’s Sterling, Jan. 11, 1891, and in this church they gave rare faithfulness in service through the remaining years of their lives. Mr. Carolus in the later years of his life was handicapped by a degree of deafness. He often told his pastor that he did not hear a word of his sermons. And yet he attended church services regularly both Lord’s Day morning and evening and how we shall miss his presence as a devout worshipper down in yonder pew! What a rebuke his example was to many who have weak, unworthy excuses for missing services of worship! Class No. 12, Theodore Trouth teacher, shall also miss him as one of the most interested and faithful of our Bible shcool puplils. No one, however, shall miss him more than his grand children, Robert, Evelyn, Donald and Helen in George’s family; D. Lyle, in Edith’s; and John Edward and Betty in Anna’s family. Another of our good and godly members has been transferred to the Heavelny Home. Long before the summons came he was ready to go. He had lived a long and useful life of singular completeness in many ways. For him death was gain for it was his birthday in a happier and better world. For him we can claim every precious promise of the Divine Word and thus be comforted.
Contributed by Larry Reynolds - The Sterling Daily Gazette, November 6, 1928,
