RIP

Bonnet Prairie Lutheran. 6/23/2025 dwm

Monday I attended a funeral at a country church 30-minutes north of our east campus. 

The small country church is called Bonnet Prairie, built in 1847. It served nine generations through thick and thin, good times and bad.

The small sanctuary was filled with children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends of the deceased. 

I was honored to know the woman for 12 years, I heard about her family and her days as a teacher. 

Oakwood Village is the retirement community where I've worked in the Foundation since 2012. I've enjoyed getting to know the residents. The difficult part is losing people you know and with whom you've developed friendships. It can be tough and it can be surprising. You would think the death of someone in their 90s wouldn't be shocking, but when you are used to seeing them as vital and active people, it is surprising.

This year it seems like we've lost quite a few of people.  

It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. 

Alfred Lord Tennyson's line about the loss of his closest friend takes on a different context but still rings true in several situations, including relationships with older adults.