Obituary Record

DEATH OF MAYOR R. W. WEBB

Chief Executive Passed Away Saturday Afternoon - Suddenly Stricken On Street - Died at Home at 3:15 O'clock

The death of Robert W. Webb, mayor of the city of Bay St. Louis at his home on Carroll Avenue Saturday afternoon was received over the weekend with genuine regret to say nothing of the shock this occasioned by many who knew and love him for his excelent traits of character both as a man and as a public servant.

Mr. Webb was walking on his way from the business district on beach front and was near Christ Church at Carroll Ave when he was stricken. Howard Cuevas, local resident, was passing at the time. Mr. Webb hailed him and when Cuevas reached him he was unconscious. He hastened to his home near by and called Dr. Horton and later Dr. Smith was summoned. The victim had been a sufferer from acute blood pressure for some time. He died at 3:15 from cerebral hemorrage.

Mr. Webb was a native of Georgia, aged 53 years, and a resident of Bay St. Louis for 20 years or more. He was a traveling salesman for a New Orleans wholesale company for many years and as this took only part of his time he was able to serve the city between time. This he did for over 10 years when he resided in Ward 3 and served as alderman and it was through this instrumentality tht the R. E. Webb School was built. As a reward for his untiring energy in getting the school, it was named for him.

Later after moving into Ward 1 where he lived at the time o his death, he ran for mayor and was elected. He was serving his 4th consecutive term at the time of his death.

HE WAS PROGRESSIVE AND ACTIVE

Mayor Webb was most active in the building of the sea wall for the City of Bay St. Louis. He worked in and out of season for the wall and when the bids were authorized and no sale was to be found for the issue, he went into the open market personally and sold the bonds dollar for dollar; the wall was built, the first of its kind built on the Coast. And the amount of property saved from erosion and storm damages more than paid for the structure. It might well be said that he was the father of the sea wall.

BUILT CITY'S WATERWORKS SYSTEM

Realizing Bay St. Louis was fast becoming with an ever increasing population, he visualized the wants of the city for the immediate future and initiated the movement of introducing a municipally-owned system waterworks. Realizing the city would operate wthout opposition, the aldermen concurring, he set about to have the city purchase the privately owned system of Charles Sanger and had the city issue bonds in the amount of $92,000 and installed the stand-pipe system with pure drinking water and other protection from fire . It was a big move at a time when the city's finances were low, but mayor Webb keenly recognized the necessity of such a system of waterworks and proceeded to procure it.

PROJECTED VAST IMPROVEMENTS

This and other improvements are to his credit. His administration through the seven years of his tenure of office has been one that helped bring the city forth and put it in front rank with other cities. At the time of his death he was keenly interested in the program of hard paving the city's streets and he worked diligently with the Board of Supervisors in planning for the paving program now in hand.

Mr. Webb was a man without enemies. This was best proven by the funeral. Man and even women from every walk of life, regardless of political, social,or religious affiliations, were there to pay his memory tribute. Men who did not agree with him politically were there. It was a great outpouring of the masses.

FUNERAL SUNDAY AFTERNOON

The funeral took place Sunday afterrnoon, Rev. Father A. J. Gmelch, of the Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Gulf, officiating at the house and at the cemetery. Burial took place at Cedar Rest Cemetery and the wealth of flowers spoke silently but eloquently of the high esteem in which the deceased was held and the deep sorrow felt for his demise.

How well he stood along the Coast was best evidenced by the many people that section presented. The mayors of the Coast cities were present. A beauatiful floral offering came from "The Citixens of Pass Christian". The following is a partial list of the larger and more presentious floral tributes received.

Weston Hotel, Mrs. And Mrs. Adam Lorch, Mr and Mrs. Geo. J. Toca, Pass Christian City Officials, Bay-Waveland Yacht Club, Mrs. M. Toca, Weis & Frank, Mr. And Mrs. R. A. Sellier, Mr and Mrs. Paul Victor Lacoste, R. C. Engman and family, Webb School Parent--Teachers Association, Mr. And Mrs. H. C. Babcock, Mr and Mrs. Ernest J. Leonhard, Concrete Pipe Company, Mr. And Mrs. Leo W. Seal, Mrs. Dillon, Mr and Mrs. George J. Pitcher, Mr. And Mrs. R. L. Genin, Mr. and Mrs. H. D. Shaw, Mr. And Mrs. Chas. G. Moreau, One Hundred Men's Benevolent Association. Ferdinand Ramond, Mr. And Mrs. Gus E. Templet, The Sea Coast Eche, E. J. Dubuc and family, Mr. And Mrs. F. E. Stulb, Mr. And Mrs. E. D. Fayard, Mr. And Mrs. J. C. Hauckes, Citizens of Pass Christian, Miss; B. P. O. Elks Lodge 30, New Orleans, La.; Student Body and Faculty, St. Stanislaus College, City of Bay St. Louis.

Mayor Webb is survived by his widow, Miss Anita Toca before her marriage; a brother in Shreveport, La.; another in Los Angeles, Cal. and a sister in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Source: Sea Coast Echo 5-30-1925