Verna Irene Smink was the first of two daughters born to Irvin Clay and Ruby Irene [WORDEN] SMINK in Buffalo County, Nebraska.
On 5 June 1937, nineteen-year-old Verna married Joseph Allen Grafft in South Dakota. Within three weeks, the young couple successfully moved Verna from Nebraska and Joseph from South Dakota, and settled in Casper, Wyoming.
On June 27, Sunday afternoon, Joseph competed in a friendly race against his new Burlington railroad section co-worker. While their wives watched from the shoreline, the young men swam across the cold waters of the quarter-mile wide reservoir near Powder River. However, the friendly rivalry ended in tragedy when the twenty-one year old groom sank from exhaustion 50 feet from the shoreline. The sheriff's office was called within minutes and a two-hour search ensued until the body of the young man was recovered.
The beautiful young bride summed up the afternoon's traumatic events by writing in pen on the back of her Certificate of Marriage the following heartbreaking words, "My darling husband drowned on Sunday afternoon, June 27, 1937."
The following month, Verna married twenty-two-year-old Bill Charles MOORE on 17 Jul 1937 in Casper, Wyoming.
Bill and Verna settled in Wyoming and were blessed with three beautiful daughters and one son. They had a wonderful marriage and celebrated thirty-seven years together before Verna's untimely death in 1975. Verna was a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother, and is deeply loved and sorely missed.
Verna is buried next to her lovely daughter, Irva Margot in their adopted hometown of Basin.
On 5 June 1937, nineteen-year-old Verna married Joseph Allen Grafft in South Dakota. Within three weeks, the young couple successfully moved Verna from Nebraska and Joseph from South Dakota, and settled in Casper, Wyoming.
On June 27, Sunday afternoon, Joseph competed in a friendly race against his new Burlington railroad section co-worker. While their wives watched from the shoreline, the young men swam across the cold waters of the quarter-mile wide reservoir near Powder River. However, the friendly rivalry ended in tragedy when the twenty-one year old groom sank from exhaustion 50 feet from the shoreline. The sheriff's office was called within minutes and a two-hour search ensued until the body of the young man was recovered.
The beautiful young bride summed up the afternoon's traumatic events by writing in pen on the back of her Certificate of Marriage the following heartbreaking words, "My darling husband drowned on Sunday afternoon, June 27, 1937."
The following month, Verna married twenty-two-year-old Bill Charles MOORE on 17 Jul 1937 in Casper, Wyoming.
Bill and Verna settled in Wyoming and were blessed with three beautiful daughters and one son. They had a wonderful marriage and celebrated thirty-seven years together before Verna's untimely death in 1975. Verna was a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother, and is deeply loved and sorely missed.
Verna is buried next to her lovely daughter, Irva Margot in their adopted hometown of Basin.
Verna Irene Smink was the first of two daughters born to Irvin Clay and Ruby Irene [WORDEN] SMINK in Buffalo County, Nebraska.
On 5 June 1937, nineteen-year-old Verna married Joseph Allen Grafft in South Dakota. Within three weeks, the young couple successfully moved Verna from Nebraska and Joseph from South Dakota, and settled in Casper, Wyoming.
On June 27, Sunday afternoon, Joseph competed in a friendly race against his new Burlington railroad section co-worker. While their wives watched from the shoreline, the young men swam across the cold waters of the quarter-mile wide reservoir near Powder River. However, the friendly rivalry ended in tragedy when the twenty-one year old groom sank from exhaustion 50 feet from the shoreline. The sheriff's office was called within minutes and a two-hour search ensued until the body of the young man was recovered.
The beautiful young bride summed up the afternoon's traumatic events by writing in pen on the back of her Certificate of Marriage the following heartbreaking words, "My darling husband drowned on Sunday afternoon, June 27, 1937."
The following month, Verna married twenty-two-year-old Bill Charles MOORE on 17 Jul 1937 in Casper, Wyoming.
Bill and Verna settled in Wyoming and were blessed with three beautiful daughters and one son. They had a wonderful marriage and celebrated thirty-seven years together before Verna's untimely death in 1975. Verna was a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother, and is deeply loved and sorely missed.
Verna is buried next to her lovely daughter, Irva Margot in their adopted hometown of Basin.
On 5 June 1937, nineteen-year-old Verna married Joseph Allen Grafft in South Dakota. Within three weeks, the young couple successfully moved Verna from Nebraska and Joseph from South Dakota, and settled in Casper, Wyoming.
On June 27, Sunday afternoon, Joseph competed in a friendly race against his new Burlington railroad section co-worker. While their wives watched from the shoreline, the young men swam across the cold waters of the quarter-mile wide reservoir near Powder River. However, the friendly rivalry ended in tragedy when the twenty-one year old groom sank from exhaustion 50 feet from the shoreline. The sheriff's office was called within minutes and a two-hour search ensued until the body of the young man was recovered.
The beautiful young bride summed up the afternoon's traumatic events by writing in pen on the back of her Certificate of Marriage the following heartbreaking words, "My darling husband drowned on Sunday afternoon, June 27, 1937."
The following month, Verna married twenty-two-year-old Bill Charles MOORE on 17 Jul 1937 in Casper, Wyoming.
Bill and Verna settled in Wyoming and were blessed with three beautiful daughters and one son. They had a wonderful marriage and celebrated thirty-seven years together before Verna's untimely death in 1975. Verna was a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother, and is deeply loved and sorely missed.
Verna is buried next to her lovely daughter, Irva Margot in their adopted hometown of Basin.
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