Edgar Isaac Lauffer

  General Notes:

Edgar was in World War I - Army, Service 7-22-1819 to 4-4-1919 - U.S. Army - Pvt.

From the memories of Mary Louise, Edgar Issac's granddaughter:
"There was a beautiful house at the top of North Irwin hill (right above mom's community garden) that was called the Lauffer House. The Lauffer house overlooked the train station which was very prominent in Irwin. People would ride the train from Pitts. to get prostitutes in Irwin. Dr. Lauffer who lived in this home visited his patients on horseback."

History of "The Mansion House" courtesy of Daralyn Palosky Vaura, sic 1995:
The large gray house that eventually became known as the "Lauffer Mansion" once stood on the corner of Foster Avenue and the brick hill. The carriage house is still standing and occupied. The property was originally sold by Irwin Land Company in 1898 to A. N. Humphreys, the former manager of Westmoreland Coal Company. Humphreys, who had the house built, left it in his will to his wife and children. One of his children, Mrs. Mary M. Brendlinger, eventually sold the house to Dr. William Marion Lauffer and his wife Laura (Ayers) Lauffer in September 1911. The Lauffers moved into the mansion in 1912, where Dr. Lauffer set up an office in which to see his patients when he was not making house calls by horseback. The mansion also had a servant's quarters, electricity, plumbing, and each room had its own fireplace. During the winter months, laundry was done in the basement and then taken to the attic where it was hung to dry.
Laura Lauffer died in 1922, survived by her husband and six children. The Doctor continued his medical practice while serving two terms as director and president of the North Irwin School Board. After his death in 1942. his son Harmon acquired to house.

On a cold Sunday on the eighth of February in 1976, the then empty mansion was broken into by juveniles who went to the attic to smoke Pot. Papers caught on fire and the juveniles ran from the house. Firefighters battled the blaze which was isolated to the attic but the large amount of water pored into the house destroyed it.

Grandpap was a carpenter and married grandma who came from a wealthy family. He laughed all the time. He was very strong. And he was very loving and quite romantic towards grandma- always said she was the prettiest woman anywhere and touched her a lot in a very kind way. All of us kids loved to play games with him. He was a lot of fun.

Grandma was the first Christian in our family and she led her dad and grandpap to the Lord. They were very active in church work- grandma's dad actually built a little church and ended up giving all his money and land away to help young couples get started.

At the end of grandpap Lauffer's life, Grandpap fell and had a stroke. He spent his last days in bed, but was very alert mentally. Grandma showed all of us what love really is as she tended to him. As he died, he reached up an kissed grandma. I pictured him like a helium filled balloon floating towards the heavens- free at last to bounce around and play. His soul was free.

Edgar married Lovena Gongaware in 1922. (Lovena Gongaware was born on 14 Aug 1904 and died on 4 Sep 2004 in Westmoreland Manor, Westmoreland County, PA.)