Friday Finds

Today’s Friday Find is a funeral program for Wilfred F. Mentzer—a cherished keepsake preserved by my grandmother, Pauline Mentzer Briles. Wilfred and Pauline were double first cousins, sharing both sets of grandparents: George and Emiline (Minnick) Mentzer, and Thurston and Salime (Crandall) Wells. This rare family connection adds extra meaning to the discovery and preservation of Wilfred’s memorial.

The Rose Beyond the Wall
Near shady wall a rose once grew,
Budded and blossomed in God’s free light,
Watered and fed by morning dew,
 Shedding its sweetness day and night.

As it grew and blossomed, fair and tall,
 Slowly rising to loftier height,
It came to a crevice in the wall,
 Through which there shone a beam of light.

Onward it crept with added strength,
 With never a thought of fear and pride,
It followed the light through the crevice’s length
 And unfolded itself on the other side.

The light, the dew, the broadening view,
 Were found the same as they were before
And it lost itself in beauties new,
 Breathing its fragrance more and more.

Shall claim of death cause us to grieve
 And make our courage faint or fall?
Nay, let us faith and hope receive;
 The rose still grows beyond the wall.

Scattering fragrance far and wide,
 Just as it did in days of yore,
Just as it did on the other side,
 Just as it will forever more.

— A. L. Frink

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In Memory Of
WILFRED F. MENTZER

Born
January 29, 1903
Yates Center, Kansas

Passed Away
May 6, 1972
Montebello, California

Funeral Services
Hillside Church
Tuesday, May 9, 1972
2:30 P.M.

Officiating
Rev. Loren Hancock

Interment
Rose Hills Memorial Park

Finding this funeral program not only preserves a moment in our family’s history, but also serves as a reminder of the close-knit ties that connected the Mentzer and Wells families. As I continue to uncover and share these pieces of the past, I’m grateful for the foresight of relatives like my grandmother who held onto these mementos. If you have similar family treasures tucked away, I encourage you to revisit them—you never know what stories they might help you tell.