Elim manages two separate cemeteries. The larger cemetery is across from the church and has been in use since the early 1850's. The south cemetery (1/2 mi south of the church on Olinda) originally belonged to a Swedish Methodist congregation. They left in 1894 and Elim has been managing it since then.
The church elects a cemetery committee to manage the cemeteries. Specifically:
To report to Elim’s church council.
Oversee burials (both full vault and cremations).
Keep records on purchases, burials, veterans etc.
Manage the money from sales and perpetual care fees to keep cemeteries running in the future.
Keep the cemetery grounds neat, clean & functional. i.e. tree removal, mowing, fixing water lines, seasonal cleanup etc.
Mark veterans graves with stars & flags for Memorial Day and remove them shortly after Memorial Day.
We are also working on getting cemetery information digitized and easier for people to access the information.
To contact the cemetery committee, call the church (651) 433-2723 or send an email to [email protected]
The cemetery committee and volunteers consists of these members: Scott Walcker Co-Chair of Cemetery Committee & databases Arnie Wright Co-Chair of Cemetery Committee Wayne Schmitt* Past chair & CAD drawings Sally Dalluhn Secretary Joe Rettner Duane Johnson Gary Swanson Tracy Thomas Pam Gromek Trudy Lodien Keith Hainy Rich Bergman Brenda Pfeiffer Paul & Julie Neorthin Larry Engstrom Past chair Myron Lindgren - Historian
* Wayne Schmitt passed this January. He has been on the committee for over 30 years and has lead and mentored all of us with his knowledge and skills. He and Wilma have spent countless hours creating CAD maps of the cemeteries with the names of the deceased. We are extremely grateful for his leadership and work!