[NOTE: BORN: 1868 Porthleven, Cornwall - Roda Mary Jane [SURNAME]

MARRIED:  20 Nov 1901  Mr LUKEIS  at  Mt. Morgans Methodist Church, W.Australia

DIED: Oct/Nov 1902]

MT. MORGANS.

(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

IN MEMORIAM SERVICE 02 November 1902

The Methodist church was crowded to the doors on Sunday evening last. The platform, pulpit, and organ were draped in black, and the service was conducted by the Rev. W. R. Lang, who in the course of his remarks, alluded in very feeling terms to the irreparable loss the church choir and Sunday-school had sustained through the sad and untimely death of Mrs Lukeis, and read the following account of the deceased lady's career, from her childhood up to the time of her death. Roda Mary Jane Lukeis was born in the year 1868 at Porthleven, Cornwall. She was the oldest of a family of nine. When comparatively young in years her father died, and she then strove with a wisdom not common in one of her years to lighten the Herculean task now devolved upon her widowed mother by sharing all the responsibilities and cares incident on the upbringing of a somewhat large family. From earliest time she was a daughter of the church, choosing, like Mary of old, the better part, to which choice she ever remained true. We find first as a scholar of the Porthleven Sunday school, and from that position she graduated up, until some time before, and up till the time of -leaving her much-loved work—hallowed

to her by early associations—we find her the highly esteemed teacher of the young women's class of the school. Tender and deep were the regrets of that class when she bade them farewell—also, little as they thought, a last farewell. She was a sweet singer, and loved the hymns of her church dearly, She knew them all, and all of them seemed to be favourites. At 16 she entered the Porthleven Wesleyan choir and for 17 years sang the praises of God in her Zion with a heart-beating tune to the melody amongst the 40 members of that choir, who still frequent the old spot -her so dear. Not one among them but will mourn as for a sister deceased when the sad news reached them of her death. 

She left England towards the close of September last year. 

On the 20th November 1901 she was married in this church to Mr Lukeis, by the Rev. W R Pool, having waited with a constancy of love, not too conspicuous in these days, for a number of years until such time as both felt they might embark upon the larger life and responsibilities of happy wedlock. 

A few days over 11 exceeding happy months passed in which she showed the same bright, quiet nature of sterling worth; her devotion to home and husband were only equalled by devotion to God and church. The future, as far as human sight could decipher, seemed full of rich, happy promise; but in a second—in a twinkling of an eye—the son of man came. Looking back upon what we know of her life here and comparing it with the record of her life in the home land, we find that amid the new scenes and temptations of goldfields life she turned not away from her Lord—neither to the right hand nor to the left, but. kept on trusting in him who was able to keep that which she had committed unto Him until that day. We have lost a Christian worshipper and member; the town has lost a good citizen; Mr Lukeis has lost an invaluable companion. Be ye also ready, for in such an hour, as ye think not the son of man will come. •