One of the best parts of being a family historian is getting to know so many extended members of your family spanning the generations. The downside of that is the more people you meet, the more loss you eventually endure.
This week was a sad week for my extended family, as it saw the passing of two people - both distant cousins and both fellow family history fanatics. My paternal grandfather's first cousin, Ralph Sienknecht passed away January 17 after a short illness. I got to know Ralph about 8 years ago and have since enjoyed talking with him and his wife, Pauline, about our shared family history. I would see him every year at the Sienknecht Reunion and we had spent time together visiting other relatives around the area.
On January 15 Margaret Foxwell passed away at the age of 93. Margaret was a true force of nature and the last of a generation. Her late husband, Thomas Foxwell, was first cousin to my great-great-grandmother, Bessie (Richards) Shaffer. Margaret loved history of all kinds and was a wealth of knowledge. She and Tom spent years researching the Foxwell family, traveling to England and visiting the lands from which our families came. She was creative and smart and generous. I first met her in 2009 after writing to ask about our shared history. She invited me to her home in Elgin and we spent a day looking at artifacts, reading through documents, and reveling in the rich history our families shared. She will be missed.
It is truly sad to see them go, but I am also grateful to know that because of my family history research I had the chance to know them in the first place.
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