Days 11 & 12: Remembrance and Reunion

Stilwell KS to Marshall MO

We left Stilwell about 10:00 and began our drive back east by taking the loop around the city and heading to Marshall, MO, via I-70. Marshall is the area of Missouri where many of my mother's relatives are from, so I feel like I am entering ancestral homelands. Ridgepark Cemetery is located in Marshall and is where many of my relatives are buried, including my father. Mom and I placed stones on the graves as a symbol of remembrance, but instead of a stone, I placed a golf ball at my father's grave. I think he would have appreciated that.

 

Marshall MO to Linn MO

After we left Marshall, we got back on the interstate and ate a packed lunch at a rest stop. At 1:00, we started for Linn, MO, where many of my father's relatives are from and where we are spending the next two nights with his sister and brother-in-law. Because this is Memorial Day weekend, we went to the Linn Public Cemetery to visit the graves of some of my father's side of the family. My aunt and uncle took us out to dinner at a small restaurant in Westphalia, MO, a small town near Linn. We ordered fantastic fried chicken, moving to #2 on our list.

On Sunday, my aunt invited cousins and in-laws to her house for an informal family reunion during the afternoon. It was good to see the family again.