Editing C. W. Post (section)

==Death==
[[File:Grave of Charles William Post (1854–1914) at Oak Hill Cemetery, Battle Creek 1.jpg|thumb|Post's mausoleum at Oak Hill Cemetery]]
[[File:Garza courthouse.jpg|thumb|A [[statue]] of C. W. Post in front of the Garza County Courthouse]]
At the end of 1913, Post's health deteriorated to the point that he canceled public appearances.<ref>{{Cite book|title=American empress : the life and times of Marjorie Merriweather Post|last=Stuart, Nancy Rubin.|isbn=9780595752027|location=Lincoln, Neb.|pages=89–90|oclc=988334937|date = January 4, 2004}}</ref> 

In early March 1914, he was believed to be suffering from [[appendicitis]] and was rushed via a nonstop train from [[California]] to the [[Mayo Clinic]] in [[Rochester, Minnesota]]. He was operated on by [[William James Mayo|William Mayo]] and [[Charles Horace Mayo|Charles Mayo]], who were regarded as the nation's preeminent surgeons at the time. The Mayo brothers operated successfully on Post sometime between March 5 and March 10, 1914, but Post's abdominal pain persisted, according to the book ''American Empress: The Life and Times of Marjorie Merriweather Post''.<ref name=Despondent>{{Cite news|publication-date=May 10, 1914|title=C. W. Post a Suicide in California Home; Battle Creek Cereal Manufacturer, Despondent Over his continued Illness |language=en-US|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/obituary-clipping-may-10-1914-3831393/|access-date=2023-04-09|issn=0362-4331 |date=1914-05-09 |place=Santa Barbara, California |page=12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Charles W. Post|url=http://www.migenweb.org/calhoun/cwpost.htm|access-date=January 17, 2021|website=www.migenweb.org}}</ref> 

Post then returned to his home in [[Santa Barbara, California]] with his stomach pain persisting. On May 9, 1914, despondent over his ongoing stomach illness and its symptoms, Post died by [[suicide]] with a [[Suicide methods#Shooting|self-inflicted gunshot]]. He was 59 years old.<ref name=Despondent/> He was interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in Battle Creek.