News: Neillsville – New Cemetery Memorial (2022)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Strangfeld

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 7/13/2022

Smiling For Samuel Memorial, Takes Shape (2022)



Progress has been made on the infant loss memorial in the Neillsville City Cemetery. The engraved bricks have been ordered and are expected to arrive in the next month or so. After those are put in, the statue and bench will be placed.

Submitted photo

A new memorial for the Neillsville City Cemetery is getting close to completion. Smiling for Samuel, an organization based out of Christie, has a mission of helping and supporting families who suffer infant and child loss and also parents going through the journey of Trisomy 18. The non-profit raised finds for a statue titled “I Knew You in the Womb.”

“An angel weeps over an empty cradle, offering a memorial for unborn children [and] making it a very powerful monument to the unborn,” a brochure from Smiling for Samuel explains.

The memorial is meant to provide a quiet place for parents who have lost a baby to grieve and remember their loved one.

Smiling for Samuel founder Sierra Strangfeld provided an update on the project on Facebook July 8. The statue has arrived in Marshfield, where it is being held until it is ready to be set. The concrete pathway and circle have been poured and finished.

“We are waiting for the bricks to be finished,” Strangfeld wrote. “Initially this was a 30-day turnaround, but because of shortages this has turned into 50-60 days. We are more than halfway through that countdown! As soon as we give the word, the statue [will] be set, along with a viewing bench.

“If all goes as planned, we are hoping for a grand reveal in August! Stay turned for more details! Everything is coming together!”

For more information, follow “Smiling for Samuel” on Facebook or visit www.smilingforsamuel.org.