Honoring a lost little one and thanking Taos for kindness

In the late 1930s, my parents, Earl and Edith Harrod, along with assorted family members, left Oklahoma for better work opportunities, mostly logging and ranch work, in Colorado and New Mexico. I have brothers and cousins born in, or near, Trinidad and Aguilar. In 1942, my parents and three oldest brothers were living near Taos on U.S. Hill, Little Río Grande where my dad was running a sawmill.

On April 14, 1942, my brother Donald (Donnie) Joe, who was just over 3 years old, wandered off, fell into a creek and drowned. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Sierra Vista Cemetery.

Later that year my parents moved to Oregon where two more of my siblings and I were born. In 1964, when I was 11 years old, our parents died in a private plane crash. They had never returned to Taos.

Through the years attempts were made to locate our brother’s grave so that a proper marker could be placed, but there were no records from that time. As I got older I thought more and more about how losing a child and having to leave him behind must have been devastating for my parents. So with renewed determination, I started making phone calls.

The first call led me to Sandy and Doreen at Rivera Family Funeral Home. They made some helpful suggestions and pointed me to Thom Wheeler at Sierra Vista.

Last fall (2017) my husband and I took a road trip that included two days in Taos. Those days were much more emotional than I could have imagined, but it was also gratifying. Thom had narrowed down the area where Donnie was likely buried to a fairly small area. When he suggested placing the temporary marker near a little lilac bush, my heart went into my throat. My mother loved flowers but most especially lilacs! And there I was, standing in the very place my mother stood as she laid her baby to rest.

When I returned home and shared my experience with my four siblings, we agreed that a temporary marker would not do. Doreen helped us to pick out an appropriate headstone and to our amazement and delight, Thom offered to install it and send us a picture.

We found all the people we met in Taos to be warm and welcoming but would like to publicly thank Thom Wheeler, Rivera Family Funeral Home, The Enchanted Florist and the lovely Jacqui at Inspirations Day Spa, whose business is across the road from Sierra Vista, and who offered to keep an eye on Donnie Joe for us. You have all touched our hearts in such a personal and profound way.

Thank you, Taos.

Courtesy photo The Hironakas during a recent trip to Taos where they found the place where her brother who died as a toddler decades ago may have been buried in an unmarked grave in Sierra Vista Cemetery.

Courtesy photo On April 14, 1942, Donald (Donnie) Joe, who was just over 3 years old, wandered off, fell into a creek and drowned. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Sierra Vista Cemetery until Taoseños recently helped his family find and mark his grave.