Geiger Family - Zena Ellen Geiger Rice - Death Record

This is the death record for Zena Geiger Rice. This lady was Virginia Carpenter Rice's husband's [Pete] mother. I found this at the Wyoming State Archives, in May of 2014. We were coming back from the "Bolder Boulder" when I realized the Wyoming Archives were open. We went to the museum on Wyoming history and then the archives. At one point I had the staff pull up Pete's birth record and they made me stand back from the microfilm machine because "there are still some people alive on this roll of microfilm." While there I also received Zena's death record. 

I believe that Zena possibly went by her middle name of Ellen, but will use Zena as it is her first name. I will paraphrase the death record as follows:

Zena died in Casper, Natrona County, Wyoming on 17 September 1924. She was 21 years, 2 months and 18 days old. Her date of birth was 25 June 1903.

She was a white married female. Her husband was C.D. Rice. Her occupation was as a housewife.

Zena was born in Missouri and her father's last name was Geiger, who was born in Iowa.

Zena's mother's maiden name was Gerrard and was born in Iowa.

The informant for the information was P.W. Geiger [Zena's father Perry] who lived in Mills Wy.

Marguerete Malatt was the Registrar of the document. Dr E.T. Gangner was the physician who took care of Zena. He states that he took care of her from Sept 14th to Sept.17, 1924. Zena died at 9PM due to "ruptured oophoritis - Purperal". This diagnosis ultimately led to Peritonitis. This disease process 3 or 4 days.

Zena did have surgery on the 15 September 1924. There was no autopsy.

Her burial took place in Casper Wyo on the 19 September 1924.

The mortuary was Shaffer-Gay, Co., in Casper.

I found Zena's obituary on Newspapers.com on 5 September 2021. It reads:

Mrs. Zena Rice Dies at home in Mills

   Mrs. Zena Rice, 21 year-old wife of Clarence D. Rice of Mills and mother of son Elden, age 2, and daughter Lillian, age 10 months, died last evening. Besides  her husband and two children, her mother, Mrs. P.W. Geiger of Mills, also survives her.

   The body is at the Shaffer-Gay mortuary. Funeral services will be conducted from there tomorrow afternoon, at 2 o'clock under the direction of Mrs. Lambert.

What is sad about this situation is the rest of the story. That is 3 days after the funeral, Zena's parents came by the house to check on the 3 remaining family members. Much to their surprise, Clarence had apparently cleared out his clothes and personal items, and left - the state. The Geiger's found that Pete, aged 3 years, was trying to take care of his sister Lillian who was 10 months old.

The end of the story is that the Geigers, Pete, and Lillian moved to Hanford California. I believe that they operated a dairy farm. That is where both children grew up.

Pete told us one time that he thought that he saw his father in a crowd but was not sure. He continued to say that if he could have, he would have hit him.

I can't say that I don't blame him.

Below is one part of the FamilySearch.org family tree .......

©All rights reserved by Pathways in Genealogy. 2018 - 2023. No part of this website/blog may be reproduced without the express written permission from the owner.