My friend passed away a few days into 2021. Due to the border being closed during this pandemic, I could not fly into the States to pay my respects. Although I appreciated attending her funeral virtually thanks to an online feed, I needed to visit her final resting place.
I have thought about making this trip down to Elma, IA, in Howard County, for months. It all unfolded on Saturday. There was a lot of research conducted beforehand.
How does one rate a cemetery? It's a first for me. I have deducted one star for a lack of information about this cemetery anywhere. There isn't really an address other than it's on Garden Avenue in Elma. Elma is a small town, so I suppose that locals know. For this Canadian dropping by this town for the first time, it was not evident to me at all. Luckily, my map app got me here safely.
I also wasn't sure where my friend's burial place was. I asked the funeral home. The woman didn't know. She recommended contacting the director of this cemetery. I couldn't reach him.
I ended up getting an old map of the lots in this cemetery, a local site that had a directory of tombstones, and my friend's daughter's photo of the tombstone with another one behind it for me to piece everything together. My friend was located in lot 1.
My drive from Saint Paul down to Elma would have taken well over two hours if I drove like a crazy woman without any breaks. I did break my trip up by having lunch in Rochester.
My map navigator had me pull into a makeshift road or path in Howard Cemetery. It's a one-way road.
I basically guessed and ultimately found my friend's tombstone, thanks to her last name being in huge block letters that was closest to my side of the car. I was tearing up roughly four kilometres away from the cemetery. When I saw where she was, the tears came down my face.
I had to pull over, so I moved to the right of the rough road. I got out of my car and was thankful that it was a nice day. I spent some time talking to her and said what I wanted to share with her. I think of her often and feel that she's with me in spirit.
It was a sunny day with a full blue sky on her funeral in Markham. It was the same thing seeing her in Elma. It was a good sign.
This cemetery is sandwiched between two farms. One looked like a grain farm. I'm not sure about the other. The cemetery seemed decently maintained.
She always wanted to visit me in Canada. I decided to bring a bit of Canada to her. I left a twoonie with her tombstone. It was a windy day and the twoonie seemed fine where it was placed.
I noticed the cemetery sign when I was about to leave. It is difficult to spot unless you are actively looking for it. Thank goodness for my map navigation!
I am glad that I got to visit my friend and pay my respects at long last. Losing someone during a pandemic and trying to mourn that person from another country has been such a challenge during this pandemic.
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