15-05-2025
Visiting gravesites for 65 years
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — With Memorial Day just around the corner a lot of people will be buying flowers and visiting gravesites all across KELOLAND.
But there's one Sioux Falls woman who goes the extra mile to place flowers at various cemeteries and she's been doing it for more than 60 years.
'Memorial Day to me means decorating the graves of your loved ones and veterans,' 86-year-old Marie Soehl said.
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86-year-old Marie Soehl doesn't like having to put flowers on gravesites.
'It was a duty that I had,' Marie said.
But she wouldn't miss it either.
'It's just like going to church, it's part of my life,' Marie said.
Since 1960, after one of her brothers, who was in the military, died, Marie made a commitment to always stop by his grave and decorate it with flowers.
That's how it all started.
So now, each Memorial Day weekend, Marie visits the gravesites of her five brothers and other family members and friends who have passed on.
In all, Marie visits a total of 33 gravesites at 11 cemeteries and to say she goes the extra mile is an understatement.
'250, a little bit over, and last year was the first year I didn't drive myself,' Marie said.
So now, her family drives her to the cemeteries.
'I have to say it's crazy, she's been doing this decorating graves longer than I've been born,' Marie's niece Adele Schmidt said.
In fact, it's 65 years in a row and counting.
Her niece took her last year.
'It was amazing all of the graves that we went to some of them are family I never knew,' Adele said.
When Marie visits the gravesites, she has a quiet moment and reflects about the good times.
'I tell them I miss them, I did a lot with my brothers,' Marie said.
She says others should make a point to stop by their loved one's graves to let them know how much they are missed.
But if they don't, she says they're missing out.
'You know what, I'm not a preacher, it's everyone's own doings, and this is mine,' Marie said.
And she says she'll keep doing it as long as she can.
Each Memorial Day weekend, Marie will remove the old flowers from last year and give them to her nephew who takes them to Colorado to be placed on graves out there.
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