Looking for a sign
We lost my uncle Mark Falk on October 1st 2018. He was the Marshal for the town of Alma and Wabaunsee county for nearly half of his sixty-two years. He loved this town, the people and the ability to connect with each and everyone who crossed his path. Whether he was welcoming you to town, giving you that Cheshire Cat grin and giggle, encouraging you to do something you weren’t sure you could do, maybe yet shaking his head at you with that “look” to remind you that you shouldn’t be doing what you were doing because you knew better, or when he had to be “official” and stand firm on the consequences he was about to deliver to you; he was fair, caring and humble. A man of incredible character and integrity I was lucky enough to have in my life.
Losing Mark has been hard for each of us in the family; he was a son, husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. We all have memories we will cherish and reminisce about for many years to come that will forever keep him with us. The day our family staged our individual cars for the funeral procession at the ballpark; a place he loved watching his grandchildren play ball and runaround, the way I looked at the town of Alma and my families history here changed.
I sat in the back of my parents car and listened to stories that I had never heard before. These stories were about my great-great grandfather’s contributions to this town and the people that lived here, and it made me realize the affection that I have for this town was rooted much deeper than I could understand at that moment. I didn’t grow up in Alma, but I was close enough in Meridan and then Lawrence to spend weekends, most holidays and many summers running around this town, likely barefoot most of the time, exploring with my cousins who did live here.
The Falk side of my family settled in Alma in 1870 after arriving from Germany to start a new life. My great-great grandfather August Falk was 21 years old when he arrived to Alma with his parents, three sisters, brother and nephew. He immediately started his new life here in Wabaunsee County assisting with stonemason jobs and grew his skills, business and contributions to the community over the next forty years. He was the proprietor of Alma Marble Works which was located on West 3rd in a small wooden building that by the late 1970’s was full of treasures and artifacts of days and times gone by, and barely standing. Stories have been told about kids and adults alike peering into the dirty old windows of the building to see what might have been in there, some of those stories are from my own family, not knowing those relics were part of our own history in this town of Alma we all so dearly love.
With encouragement from my family, assistance from Greg Hoots and my own dogged determination I’m focused on bringing our family’s history and stories to life. This is important to me and for the Falk family because the 7th and 8th generations of August Falk’s lineage are currently growing up in Alma, Kansas. Having felt that sense of disconnectedness to the stories of my families past while I sat in the back of my parents car that day; my mission is to uncover and document as many of these hidden stories as possible, before they are too faded to be recovered.
A story Greg Hoots has shared with me a few weeks back is one about the sign that hung outside my great-great grandfather August’s Marble Works shop. An auction twenty years ago at Weldon Falk’s farm on Boothill Road took place and items were sold to various folks but there was a wood hand painted sign, likely painted by August himself, sold to an antique dealer. This sign is approximately eight-feet long and about 18-24” in height. Greg saw this sign in the antique shop and had purchased it. He then gave the sign to a friend of his, Wendy Redmon-Page who Greg suggested may still have it. I recently contacted Wendy inquiring about the sign and if she still had it but unfortunately she had recently parted with the sign. Wendy thought that Paul Gronquist may have purchased the sign, she wasn't certain, but it was worth a try to see if I could find it and bring it back to my family. I asked my cousin Jennifer Falk to reach out to Paul and ask if he may have been the one that now had it, but again we struck out.
Perhaps you have seen this sign, perhaps you know who may have acquired this sign from Wendy, perhaps you are currently in possession of this sign. I’m looking for this sign, my family is looking for sign and if you can help us bring it back to our family, please contact any one of the Falks in Alma or myself at admin@myfamilystory.me, so that we may welcome this piece of our family heritage back into our lives.