Edward Ernest Graefe

Edward Ernest Graefe, was born on September 18, 1937 to Edward F. Graefe and Johanna (Mathwich) Graefe, first generation Americans of German parents. Eddie had one younger sister, Susanne. Their father worked hard and skillfully in the Kohler fixture plant and Johanna was a homemaker. His parents spoke German in the house whenever they didn’t want the kids to understand what they were saying. From this, Ed as an adult had a desire to speak German and when Ed’s oldest grandchild entered the Twin Cities German Immersion School, Ed would try his recalled German with her, often to her puzzlement or great amusement! Ed learned to enjoy and appreciate nature...birds, flowers, animals and trees from his parents, and especially valued time the time he spent outdoors with his dad. The family lived in Sheboygan, WI, home of bratwurst and crusty brat buns called “hard rolls.” All his life Ed searched for “hard rolls” or semolinas of Sheboygan standards. Sadly, he never found them anywhere else. At 17, Ed enlisted in the Navy. His parents signed for him because he was not 18. He and his childhood friend, Louie, entered the Navy together, Louie joined the Seabees and Ed spent 3 years on a submarine tender before being honorably discharged. As young as he was and as close to Tijuana as he was stationed, he told Faith later that she was lucky he wasn’t covered in tattoos. He proudly wore his Navy veteran cap often. When Ed was discharged he hitchhiked from San Diego home to Sheboygan (2100+ miles) and got a job in a soda bottling plant. A couple at his church saw untapped potential in Ed and became teacher/mentors to Ed. They encouraged him to go to college so he enrolled at Concordia Teachers College in River Forest, IL. Part of the curriculum of the school at the time was that students would take a year away to do student teaching. Ed was assigned to St. Matthew’s Lutheran School in upper Manhattan, New York, the oldest Lutheran Church in the US. While there as a teacher in their parochial school, he was expected to sing in the choir. That was where he met Faith Hinnenthal, fellow choir member, who was working a year in NYC before moving to Colorado. Ed and Faith married in 1967 at St. Peter’s Lutheran in St. Peter MN. Ed enrolled at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Faith worked at the University of Chicago. Ed graduated with a BFA and in 1970 they moved to Minnesota with their infant daughter Allison. In Minnesota Ed pursued his glass blowing and enameling and glass drawing at University of Minnesota. During the summers, Ed exhibited and sold his art at many venues, including the Renaissance Festival and Uptown Art Fair. In fall, Faith started anesthesia school and Ed took a teaching position in Anoka Hennepin District #11, where he taught for 30 years. Daughter Elizabeth was born in 1973 and son Jonathan was born in 1980. . Faith and Ed joined Messiah Lutheran Church, Mounds View, in Fall 1970. Over the years Ed was active in the Sunday School ministry, Board of Education, choir, Stephen Ministry, Last Supper Play re-enactments, and he was instrumental in co-founding a C.S.Lewis Bible study. The latter group, smaller and more intimate today, still exists. Ed has read every CS Lewis book through at least twice. He read other authors over the years...George Macdonald, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oswald Chambers, and Carl Sandberg. Ed enjoyed poetry too, and seafaring stories by Patrick O’Brian (Aubrey) and science fiction. While he was ill in his last months, Faith read to him from CS Lewis, poetry, Craig Johnson (Longmire) and devotions. Those were peaceful special times they shared. Ed always loved music. Great organ and choral works, hymns, classical, Billy Joel and James Taylor, the Beatles, Jimmy Buffett,“Weird Al” Yankovic, Bob Marley, and more and more. Ed enjoyed movies, Star Wars, British mysteries on tv and could always be counted on to sit with a young grandchild, his arm wrapped around their shoulder, eating grilled cheese and watching whatever animated feature the grandchild wanted. It was love and entertainment. Ed loved to travel. He was blessed to visit Japan twice, Greece, Spain, and his 80th Birthday/50th anniversary trip to Germany and Czechia which Faith and Ed visited during the 500th anniversary year of the Reformation. Traveling with daughters Beth and Allison, they pushed his wheelchair over the cobblestones. It was memorable and treasured by Ed. In early years the family took countless car trips to the east and west coasts and Yellowstone National Park. Two of his favorite places were Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and Chincoteague, Virginia. Throughout the years he enjoyed fishing trips, especially to their friends’ island in Rainy Lake in Canada, hiking in Minnesota, Washington, and Wisconsin, and walks at Springbrook Nature Preserve with his grandchildren. He enjoyed fishing, canasta and cribbage, traveling, reading to his grandchildren and spinning his dance partner dizzy with his polka moves. He could be funny, quirky, grumpy and occasionally random in his conversations! He was legendary among his family for old jokes recycled over and over. And over and over. And over. The move to Applewood Pointe Shoreview in 2015 was mostly Ed’s wish and it turned out to be a true blessing for both Faith and Ed as his mobility declined. He made such close and dear friends here... John, Brother David, Marian, Sally, Kaye and Jim, Duane, Dave of the puzzle room, and many others who he would visit with or who stopped to talk to him in the hall or garden or on the patios. He loved your kindness, caring, and listening ears. He had a quirky personality, sometimes expressing non-pc comments. But he cared and felt deeply. He was a very tender man. Ed is survived by his dear, dear children: Allison Burkhow (Jon), Elizabeth Daas (Chris), and Jonathan (Gwen) Graefe and his grandchildren, Cassannedra Burkhow, Charles Burkhow, Marcus Daas, Luciana Burkhow, Kaleb Graefe, Theodore Burkhow, Evelyn Burkhow, and Hunter Graefe, his sister Susanne Strysick and husband, Richard, sister- and brother-in laws Kathy & Bill Brueggemann, Kristi & Jerry Murtaugh, Bob & Liz Hinnenthal, Gerald Weispfenning, many nieces and nephews and other friends and family, including special friends from C.S. Lewis group, Applewood Pointe SV, and Messiah. And Ed is survived by his wife, Faith, who desperately wanted him to come home to her again. Instead God chose his “quantum leap into eternity” for Ed. Ed, you “turned out the lights” in your mortal body but the “party is not over” because we know through our faith in Jesus Christ, that you are celebrating in heaven with those that have gone before. Ed was preceded in death by his father and mother Edward and Johanna, mother- and father-in-law, Alice and Mark Hinnenthal, and sister-in-law Anne Weispfenning. He also has had the delight of meeting unborn grandchildren who miscarried before birth. Services will be held at Messiah Lutheran Church 2848 County Road H2, Mounds View, MN. There will be a reviewal on Sunday, September 27 from 2-5 pm. An outdoor funeral will be held on Monday, September 28 at 2 pm with reviewal an hour before. On behalf of Ed, the family requests memorials to any of three of his favorite organizations: Nature Conservancy, Animal Humane Society Golden Valley, or Messiah Lutheran Church. Funeral services provided by Washburn-McReavy Hillside Chapel 612-781-1999

Tributes

Edward Ernest Graefe

September 18, 1937 - September 21, 2020

Tributes

Edward Ernest Graefe

September 18, 1937 - September 21, 2020

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