Mary Kortlever Burgraff Dies

Mary stayed busy after John’s death raising her family. The boys were taking care of the farm and the three older girls were married and busy with their families. In August of 1921 Mary was appointed to the board of the drainage improvement district. Her son John Jr. had applied for the position, but he was not a land owner at the time which made him ineligible for the position. The judge appointed Mary.¹ She remained on the board for several years.

Mary, like many of her family members, suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, and her health was slowly declining in the mid-1920s as the disease ravaged her body. Mary died 16 April 1926.²

HOLD SERVICES FOR LATE MRS. MARY BURGRAFF
Funeral services were held on Monday at 1:00 p.m. at the Burgraff home and at 2:00 p.m. at the First Reformed Church for the late Mrs. Mary Burgraff who passed away Friday.

Rev. P. Jonker and Rev G. DeMotts were in charge of the services.

Mary Kortlever was born October 17, 1874, in Holland, and died at the age of 51 years, 5 months and 29 days.

She is survived by eleven sons and daughters, Peter Burggraff, Mrs. Ed Hoekstra, Mrs. J. Dyksterhuis, Mrs. Ben Nymeyer, John, Albert, Hugo, Arie, Bert, Marion and Sadie Burgraff; her mother Mrs. Kortlever of Lynden. – Lynden Tribune 22 April 1926

[This should have been twelve children as William was alive and living in Minnesota.]
Mary is buried beside John in Monumenta Cemetery.

1. “Local News,” The Bellingham Herald, 16 Aug 1921, p. 5; digital images.
2. Whatcom County, Washington, death certificate no. 56 (1926), Mary Kortlever Burgraff; Washington State Vital Records, Olympia, Washington.
3. “Hold Services for Late Mrs. Mary Burgraff,” (Lynden) Lynden Tribune, 22 Apr 1926.