Everyone is invited to the third annual Red Oak Grove Reunion on Sunday, May 17, 2009. Pastor Ron Lashmit will officiate at the 11:00 a.m. service, and special music will be presented. Jeff Kaufmann, state legislator from Cedar County, will deliver the message. A noon potluck luncheon will precede the annual meeting of the Red Oak Grove Cemetery Assn. All events are open to the public, with a special invitation to persons whose forebears attended the church or are buried in the cemetery.

 

Red Oak Grove Church and Cemetery have applied for admission to the National Register of Historic Places. A long nomination form was submitted, with many supporting documents, including photographs, maps, and a copy of the color drawing made by Charles Sisler. We’ll keep you informed in The Reporter of the status of the nomination. Often, nominations are not accepted on the first try, but require more work.

 

Each year, the Red Oak Grove Cemetery Association board focuses on one or two projects to maintain and/or improve the church and cemetery. This year, the large oculus (round window) in the east gable end of the church, and the four smaller oculi need to be restored. The large one in particular has serious deterioration in the woodwork. In the cemetery, an informational kiosk is needed at each end. Kiosks would display a map and a list of burials, to help people locate the graves of their relatives. Firms qualified to do the work are currently being sought.

 

`Keeping the ship afloat’. . . Donations of any amount to help preserve Red Oak Grove Church and Cemetery are always welcome and needed. They may be earmarked for the endowment fund (which generates interest to provide perpetual care) or for a special project. All donations are tax-deductible. For more information, telephone Bob Rickard, (563) 886-6018, or write to him at the address given below.

 

Thanks and kudos … We are grateful to Nelson Meyers, who donated his time to clear snow from the cemetery in January for three interments. Thanks also to Josh Crist, who has started cleaning up the timber on the west edge of the cemetery. Cemetery Association board member Keith Whitlatch was honored January 31 at the "Nine Who Care" Jefferson Awards Banquet. Keith volunteers with the Tipton Ambulance Service, Salvation Army, Red Cross, Lions Club, and various other groups.

 

Cemetery record complete … Lori Ostrich of Stanwood has donated many hours to complete the extensive project of recording all monuments/interments at Red Oak Grove Cemetery into the computer. We now have a printed record of all interments; plots both sold and for sale; and persons interred, listed both alphabetically by last name and also by plot number. Specific individuals may be looked up via findagrave.com on the Internet. (In the future, information will also be accessible on a Red Oak Grove Church and Cemetery Web site. Watch coming issues of The Reporter for details.)

 

A glimpse of history … The first baptized members of Red Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, in 1841, were Edward, son of Robert Cousins; Ann, Mary and Robert; children of Charles and Elizabeth Dallas; and John Jr., 6 months, first child of John and Elizabeth Davis Safley. (Centennial Edition, The Tipton Conservative, July 1940)

 

In memoriam … Dorothy Louise Bachman Harmsen, 88, of Tipton, died January 9, 2009. She was church organist at Red Oak Grove for 30 years, and played for the 2007 and 2008 Red Oak Grove Reunion services. Ronald Boswell Anderson, 92, of Tipton died January 12, 2009. He was among 16 persons on the membership roll when the church closed in December 2006. Both now rest in Red Oak Grove Cemetery.

 

Do you have comments, ideas, or suggestions? Do you know someone who would like to

receive the Red Oak Grove Reporter? Contact Bob Rickard, Board president, at P.O. Box 452, Tipton, L4 52 772 or [email protected].

 

Published at Tipton, Iowa, April 2009