OBITUARY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 291, 7 November 1934, Page 8

OBITUARY.

MR GEORGE TOMS.

By the death of Mr George Toms, which occurred at his residence, No. 38 Russell Street, the Fitzherbert district loses one who can be included among those early settlers who carved a home for themselves from the native bush which covered the hillsides in that locality. Mr Toms was a New Zealander by birth, having been born at Greatford in the Rangitikei district, being a son of Mr Josuah Toms, an early setler, and on attaining his manhood, lie took'up farming pursuits. In 1888 he married Miss Lily Webb, of The Hiitt, and the young couple came to the r ttzlierbert district where Mr Toms had taken up a block of land. His first task was that of hewing out of the bush the timber necessary to construct their first home. A few years later Mr Toms disposed of his property and se : cured an area of 50 acres at Awapuni where he continued to reside for the ensuing 28 years. In 1919 he retired from farming and came to Palmerston North to live. Of a quiet, retiring disposition, he took a keen interest in the Gospel Hall, while many of his good works were not publicly known. In addition to his widow, there are left to mourn his passing a family of three sons and two daughters—Messrs IV. Toms (Margaret Street), A. Toms (Stanley Avenue), and H. Toms (Dannevirge), and Mesdames V. Batson (Ferguson Street), and J. Wall (llongopfii Street). The funeral took place this afternoon at the Kelvin Grove cemetery, and prior to the cortege leaving for the cemetery a service was conducted in the Gospel" Jlall by Messrs J. G. Harvey, and A. Hockley, while the last rites of the church were performed at the graveside by Mr A. Pickin.