by Dennis Dalman
An engraved granite memorial to 11 orphans who died in the late 1800s was dedicated at a ceremony July 26 in the Parish Cemetery behind the Catholic church in downtown St. Joseph.
More than 130 years ago, those children were wards of the St. Benedict’s Orphan Asylum in St. Joseph, operated by Benedictine Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict. In the late 1800s, many adults and children died of communicable diseases for which there was no cure. Thus, orphanages for homeless children were quite common.
About 50 people attended the July 26 ceremony, including some people distantly related to one of the deceased orphans – John Simon.
One of those distantly related people is David Marthaler, who delivered opening remarks at the monument ceremony. A retired FBI special agent and military veteran who lives in Michigan, Marthaler and his first cousin, Robert Simon of rural St. Joseph, spearheaded a fundraising drive starting last year to create a monument to the orphans. Marthaler has parental and childhood roots that go all the way back to the St. Joseph/St. Cloud area and to one of the deceased orphans, 5-year-old John Simon who died in 1883.
Long ago, there were wooden crosses at the burial site, one for each orphan who died, but over time those crosses decayed, leaving no markers to memorialize their sad deaths.
Father Brad Jenniges, Order of St. Benedict, delivered a blessing as attendees bowed their heads.
During his opening remarks at the ceremony, Marthaler said the following:
“In 1883, our grandfather Frank Simon – just 9 years old, was welcome along with his two siblings to St. Benedict’s Orphanage. Grandpa’s little brother, John Simon, passed away and was buried here, followed by 10 other (orphaned) children in the years that followed.
“Today, we honor them with a memorial market that will ensure their memory will live into future generations.”
Marthaler gave high praise to Sisters Pat Kennedy and Karen Rose for their “unwavering support” and their historical research into the orphans’ tragic deaths.
He also thanked Mike O’Connor and Erin Schwartz of Cold Spring Granite and JoAnn Fish of Murphy Granite. She designed the black-granite monument.
After the ceremony, the participants were invited to a reception with coffee and cookies at the St. Benedict Monastery’s Gathering Place.
David Marthaler and his first cousin, Robert Simon, stand by the orphans’ monument dedicated July 26 in the Parish Cemetery of St. Joseph. Both men are related to John Joseph Simon, one of the 11 orphans memorialized on the monument.
