Mary Frailey

Mary Eva Frailey was born January 16, 1924 the second child of Will and Sarah (Derringer) Kaegi.
Eva lived her entire life in Hardin County. After High School, she was married to James F Lasater for a short time. Eva worked in Cave-In-Rock at both Oxford's and Millikan's stores. Farmers brought their cow's milk to town to sell. Eva seperatedthe cream from the milk, and pasteurized the milk. This is where she met a charming man named James RC Frailey. They soon married and Jim moved Eva to the river bottoms where they lived for several years. She helped Jim plant the corn crop and shuck the corn by hand using a shucking Peg, a team of horses and a wagon. They raised hogs and goats, milked cows, made delicious fresh cottage cheese, built fence and whatever else needed to be done to maintain the house and farm.
Eva worked at numerous jobs to provide for her family. She cleaned houses for several people in Cave-In-Rock and Rosiclare. She was an expert painter. If anyone needed their house painted on the inside or outside, they knew who to call Eva for a job that would be done very well. She worked for many years at the Farmers Implement Store where she deliverd furniture and propane gas tanks as well as any man. She worked for years along side Bill Long, Jimmy Powers, Preston VanHooser, and Roy E. Glore. When the implement store closed, she started working for the Rose Funeral Home. She drove the ambulance and went long distances to pick up the deceased to bring them home. She never stayed overnight on these trips. After picking up the person, she would turn around and drive back to Cave-In-Rock no matter how far away she was.
Eva helped in the construction of the present Rose Gilbert Funeral Home. Fred Cox said that she was the hardest worker he had ever seen. She helped with the wiring and water lines under the floor and did a great job with dry walling and painting.
Eva was mowing the funeral home lawn in 1967 when she had an attack of Bell's palsy. She was never again able to hold down a full time job. That was very difficult for her to acceptbecause she had worked hard all of her life.
In 1969 she started baby sitting her brother Taylor's daughter,Sarah. Eva dearly loved looking after Sarah. After Jim passed away in 1980, Eva moved into Cave-In-Rock where she lived until she wasn't able to take care of herself. She was a member of the Cave-In-Rock Methodist Church.
Eva's parents Will and Sarah, two brothers Taylor and Willie, husband Jim, grandson John Gordon Denton, stepson Asa Ray Frailey and special sister in law Berniece Frailey preceded her in death.
Survivors include her sister Elsie (Charles) Patton, their children Cindy Patton and David (Mindy) Patton, three sister-in-law Myrna Kaegi, Edna Hope Wright, and Mayme Frailey, niece Mary Beth (David) Logsdon, beloved niece Sarah Kaegi, step daughter Martha Jeralds, step grandchildren Ricky Frailey, Alta (Sissy) Jackson, Diane Millikan, and James Charles Jeralds, daughter Mary Ellen (Gordon) Denton,grandchildren Jim Denton, Jena Lloyd, Jayne Reed and Ann Simmons, grandsons-in-law Tom Reed and Shain Lloyd, great grandchildren Michael, Jason, and Josh Denton, Hannah and Hayden Lloyd, Denton, Emily, and Cayleb Reed, Rocky Nakol, Abby, and Jessy Denton and Johnny Simmons. Eva is survived by a host of cousins, nieces and nephews. During Eva's final week she took comfort in the thought that June Bug was there with her when I had to leave she would want to know when I would be back and then she would say "I will be alright because June is here with me".
Death casts a frightening shadow over us because we are entirely helpless in its presence. Strength and courage cannot overcome death. It has the final word. Only God can walk us through death's dark valley and bring us safely to the other side to eternal comfort.
For God's people, death is a bright pathway to a new and better life. Eva is no longer blind. She is able to see the glories of heaven. She no longer struggles to breathe. She is a new personwith no pain or fear. God has shown us that death is not final, but is just another step in the eternal life we receive when we follow him.