Joanne's family had a tradition of placing flowers on family graves every year at Memorial Day. That was not my family's practice. Joanne decision to be buried in the Sinai Cemetery gives me regular opportunity to visit...think several times a week.
In my regular wanderings in the cemetery I'm always gladdened to see graves that show signs of attention from loved ones. Many receive no such attention as family are distant both in time and miles. That saddens me.
A couple of days ago a worker from a monument company was attending the markers for the Engelsgaard family. In the 'early days' the Engelsgaards and the Negstads were on neighboring farms. Immigrants from Norway they were good friends, Marit, whom we knew as grandma Engelsgaard tended my grandmother, Sigrid Negstad, when she was sick with diphtheria. Their houses were a half mile apart across the fields.
Grandma Engelsgaard was widowed in 1925 and lived with her son and daughter-in-law on the farm, that is until her son, Erik, died in 1939. Erik had six children, the youngest of whom was one, when he died. His widow moved the family, including her mother-in-law to Sinai, where she successfully raised the six children.
Grandma Engelsgaard lived until 1961, and died at the age of 100. She was blind for many years, all the years that I knew her. During my high school years in the fifties our youth group from church would Christmas carol her. One of the six children, the late Glen, and I were high school classmates and friends. Joanne was distantly related to the Engelsgaards.
Her grave marker shown below shows the work the monument employee did. The three surviving children of the six all live out of state. Likely one of them contacted the monument company to do the restoration, a sign of enduring love.
Takk for alt,
Al
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