Greenville Leader News - Apr 12, 1929 Sec 1 P.1 C. W. Roark Loser In Fight For Life Useful and Promising Career of Congressman-Elect, Cut Short by Death Congressman Charles W. Roark died at a hospital in Louisville early last Friday morning after a lingering illness of several months following a nervous breakdown, brought on by his two strenuous campaigns last fall. The body arrived here on the afternoon train Friday and at 5 oclock Saturday afternoon at a service was held at the Methodist church, the pastor, Rev. K.L. Rudolph, associated with our other ministers: Revs. Angus N. Gordon, E.S. Summers, W.J. Hudspeth, Rev. Burroughs being absent from the city. Interment followed in the family lot in Evergreen cemetery. The funeral was attended by a large crowd , a number corning from Louisville and other sections of the state. Charles Roark was born and spent his life here. He founded the Greenville Milling Co., and developed it to one of our foremost industries and he held stocks and investments of considerable worth fruits of his energy and ability. He was active in all projects of development and improvement in his home city and county, and gave liberally of time and funds to religious, educational, fraternal, civic and industrial projects. He was a 32nd degree Mason, and held membership in a number of clubs. He served as Mayor of Greenville one term, and was chairman of the Selective Service Board of Muhlenberg county in the World War. He had a wide circle of friends over the state who will miss him. Mr. Roark has been a friend to all who needed his assistance and has even gone out of his way and invested money in educating young people, helping some to enter business, helping others to buy homes. With all these he will hold a special spot in memories book. His active, useful life ended prematurely, and a loss shared by many. A coincidence very striking is that his father, James Louis Roark, died April 5, 1893, at 5 oclock in the morning, and both being in their 53rd year. Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Eula Lam Roark, and two brothers, Orien L. Roark and Cecil Roark, of this city. The pallbearers were: Active-Edwin Wickliffe, Macon Bennett, Roy Smith, W.G. Crawford, Leslie Hale, J.P. Morgan, T.E. Sparks , and W.K. Redmond, of Glasgow, Ky. Honorary-Messrs Fred Booker, Louisville; Lewis Hancock, Louisville; Frank Russell, Louisville; Tom Walker, Louisville; Homer Beliles, Morgantown; R.S. Reeves, Morgantown; A.J. Bratcher, Morgantown; W.C. Barrow, Morgantown; J.P. Lawton, Central City; J.B. Lawton, Central City; H. H. Vincent, Central City; F.T. Wallace, Central City; George Arbuckle, Central City; M.F. Moore, Central City; J.B. Funk, Central City; George Baker, Central City; Walter Barnes, Central City; S.P. Taylor, Central City; Harry Weir, Greenville, W.C. Jonson, Greenville; T.B. Pannell, Greenville; R. E. Wallace, Greenville; Robert Wickliffe, Greenville; C.S. Curd, Greenville; A.W. Duncan, Greenville; Will Martin, Greenville; C.W. Taylor, Greenville and John T. Reynolds, Greenville. --- History of Charles Wickliffe Roark by Tom Brizendine Charles Wickliffe Roark was born in Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, on January 22, 1877. He attended the public schools of his native city and the Greenville Seminary; founded the Greenville Milling Co. in 1901 and served as its president until his death; also served as president of the Kentucky Retail Lumbermen in 1908, and of the Tri-State Lumber DealersAssociation in 1909; elected mayor of Greenville and served from 1918 to 1922; during the World War was chairman of the selective service board of Greenville; active in civic development in his home city and county; elected as a Republican to the Seventy-first Congress, and served from March 4, 1929, until his death, before the convening of Congress; died in Louisville, Ky., April 5, 1929; interment in the family lot in Evergreen Cemetery, Greenville, Ky.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 15:22:22 +0000
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