The Kronau Bethlehem Lutheran Cemetery is more than just a heritage site to Mona
and Wilf Leippi. To them, it is where many of their ancestors have been laid to rest in the last century.
When the Leippis began the restoration project of the overgrown cemetery in 1985, they had relatives in about 95 of the 155 graves.
“The forefathers that came from 1891, the Lutheran people, are all buried there,” Wilf said.
The cemetery is easy to spot when driving in from the adjacent gravel road because it is situated in the middle of a farmer’s wheat field.
The wide, iron gate and arched entryway towers over the flat prairie landscape. Embellished with a maple leaf on either side, the archway reads “KRONAU” in bold lettering.
Short, metal posts have been linked around the perimeter of the space with rusting chains. It is further marked by a few trees, a utility shed disguised as a miniature church, a raised wooden pulpit and a monumental plaque encased in stone.
Both Mona and Wilf grew up in Kronau, attending the Bethlehem Lutheran Church and Kronau Public School #482, a two-room schoolhouse. The church used to stand next to the cemetery until 1950, when it was moved into town to be renovated.
A replica stands in its place beside the cemetery. The miniature church, which stands 22 feet tall, was built by Wilf and his family as a creative way to disguise a utility shed.
In a video tour of the cemetery that is posted on the Youtube page called Germans from Russia Heritage Collection, Wilf is seen stepping into the shed and reaching up to pull at something. A clanging bell rings.
“That’s how we start our services,” Wilf said in the video.
“And one day they’ll be ringing that for me.”
In 1984, the Leippis became involved with the site after seeing how well the Holdfast Cemetery was being kept.
When Wilf and Mona compared the site in Holdfast to theirs in Kronau, they realized how neglected it was.
“Mona and I drove home in deep thought and optimism,” Wilf said.
The next year, 1985, there was a grant available for the upkeep of provincial heritage sites. They applied for the cemetery to be recognized as a heritage site and were accepted.
For 30 years, the cemetery had become completely abandoned. Weeds and tall grass overtook the headstones. The surrounding barbed wire fence was falling over from decades of wind beatings.
“The younger generation were attending colleges in Regina, meeting new friends and many leaving their farm home communities,” Wilf said.
Lutheran residents of Kronau who died during the 50s began to be buried by their loved ones in Regina. They hoped the plots in the city would be better taken care of.
Wilf said people in the Kronau community in the 1980s were “starved” to see a reconnection with their past and their ancestors.
“There was a definite breach between the generations.”
In order to better fund the restoration project, the church asked family members of the deceased to donate to the perpetual care fund in lieu of flowers. At the first funeral that the perpetual care fund was integrated, over $1,200 was raised.
In 2021, the care fund is still active and being used to pay a full-time caretaker for the site.
The oldest marked grave belongs to, Wilhelm Leippi, a relative not closely related to Wilf, but most likely a second or third cousin of his grandfather. Wilhelm was born in 1890 and died a year later on Oct. 27th, leaving behind his parents, John P. and Amalia Leippi.
While looking at a map, Wilf and Mona can each pinpoint the exact location of their family homes from decades ago even though most of the houses have been torn down and replaced with farmer’s crops.
The cemetery sits in the Rural Municipality (RM) of Lajord 128.
Spanning almost 950 square kilometres, Lajord 128 is home to seven cemeteries including the Bethlehem Lutheran Heritage site.
Lajord 128 has a population of 1,232 people, according to the RM of Lajord website.
In comparison, the City of Regina, which has a population of approximately 228,900, only has two city-run cemeteries.
While the size of the Regina cemeteries are not comparable to those around the Kronau area, it shows how important being buried close to the family home was to rural community members.
Wilf and Mona said that when they pass away they intend to be buried in the cemetery, not only because of the time and dedication they have put into the site but because their family home is just a few kilometres away.
