Visit to Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis

Sunday seemed like a good day to drive into Minneapolis. A Woodland friend, Nancy, had asked us to visit a relative’s gravesite if we had a chance. The cemetery, Lakewood, is in smack dab in the heart of Minneapolis. It was my first opportunity to drive in the area and I found it not too harrowing for a city.

The ambience of the section of Minneapolis we were in reminds me of downtown Sacramento with the older homes mixed with businesses and some high-rise buildings.  The cemetery is on Hennepin Avenue and that was an issue today as about 6-8 blocks were closed for an Art Faire. The weather was threatening rain, so we did not stop and check out the faire.

Instead, with the help of Waze, we weaved back and forth on streets surrounding the faire until we could get back on Hennepin. Hennepin dead ends at the cemetery.

This was the first time Joe and I have gone to a cemetery armed with a section and plot number. It took a bit to figure out the map, so we were able to get our steps in. Joe did quite a bit of walking, while I kept looking at the map trying to home in on the actual plot area. We were finally able to locate further maps on the Lakewood internet site that helped us to find the three sites for our friend, Nancy.

Entry to Cemetery at end of Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis

Looking west from the plots we visited today.

A map of the cemetery - we were looking in Section 40, Lot 141

Joe cleared the plots of overgrown grass and weeds so I could take photos for Nancy. The plots are of a husband (Joseph d. 1924, Aged 69 years old), wife (Mary d. 1946, aged 88 years old), and daughter (Clara d. 1964 aged 83 years old).  I am unclear on the relationship between these folks and Nancy.

The cemetery overall is well cared for. It’s huge though! At 250 acres, the cemetery is a destination tourist spot. You can check out more about Lakewood Cemetery at the link (below) to their self-guided tour. 

https://www.lakewoodcemetery.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Lakewood_SelfGuided_WalkingTour.pdf

After we emailed photos to Nancy, we headed home with a stop in Plymouth for lunch at Red Lobster. Right after we finished lunch it began to rain. The rain was welcomed as the area has had a dryer than normal summer.