My dad: Lou
My mother: Opal

A native of Missouri, now living in California, I grew up knowing a lot of my extended family. Many of us grew up in the same church in which our great-grandmother Stanglein had been a charter member, and we continue to get together for bi-annual family reunions.

As a child I had trouble keeping all of the relatives straight. For example, both of my maternal grandparents had sisters named Amelia, and one also had a sister named Amy. I knew all my first cousins, of course, but did not pay that much attention to the older generation at the time.

Both of my own parents passed away in 2009. That has caused me to think more about my grandparents and great-grandparents, and made me curious to learn more. As my siblings and I have continued to sift through some of our parents' belongings, we have uncovered some great photos and newspaper clippings. Among other things, my mother saved a number of obituaries. At the time, all of of us kids thought her obit clipping was kind of weird, but now I am finding them invaluable as I begin to dabble in genealogy.

It was while doing some web searches on ancestors, that I stumbled across the Find A Grave website. It has been a great resource for me, and a way to honor and remember those I love. I hope it will also be useful to future generations of relatives when they come to a time in their lives that they want to know about more about the family members who have preceded them.

My dad: Lou
My mother: Opal

A native of Missouri, now living in California, I grew up knowing a lot of my extended family. Many of us grew up in the same church in which our great-grandmother Stanglein had been a charter member, and we continue to get together for bi-annual family reunions.

As a child I had trouble keeping all of the relatives straight. For example, both of my maternal grandparents had sisters named Amelia, and one also had a sister named Amy. I knew all my first cousins, of course, but did not pay that much attention to the older generation at the time.

Both of my own parents passed away in 2009. That has caused me to think more about my grandparents and great-grandparents, and made me curious to learn more. As my siblings and I have continued to sift through some of our parents' belongings, we have uncovered some great photos and newspaper clippings. Among other things, my mother saved a number of obituaries. At the time, all of of us kids thought her obit clipping was kind of weird, but now I am finding them invaluable as I begin to dabble in genealogy.

It was while doing some web searches on ancestors, that I stumbled across the Find A Grave website. It has been a great resource for me, and a way to honor and remember those I love. I hope it will also be useful to future generations of relatives when they come to a time in their lives that they want to know about more about the family members who have preceded them.