17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Saturday, April 6, 1912: Carrie and I went up to the cemetery to attend the funeral. I got a glimpse of my friend, nor do I think I’ll ever forget how she looked as she laid in her coffin. It seemed sad to die so young. She was about a year my junior.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
On April 4 Grandma wrote in her diary that a friend from Sunday School had died—but didn’t provide a name or details. After that post, readers suggested that I try to find the obituary to learn the name and more about the death. It’s a great idea and I plan to search old microfilms of the local paper soon. Keep your fingers crossed that I find it.
It’s so hard when someone young dies. I wonder if this is the first time that Grandma ever had to deal with the death of a friend.
I know that Grandma faced other difficult deaths over the years. For example, my grandfather died in a farm accident in the 1960’s. I can remember as clearly as yesterday, Grandma leaning over the coffin to say one final good-bye before it was closed.
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Carrie refers to Grandma’s friend Carrie Stout.
