Mary Jane STEELE [35]

  General Notes:

Copy of Funeral Service Memorial Booklet

The Twenty-Third Psalm: "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake...Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: For Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever."

In Memory of
MARY TRAMM
SEPT. 20, 1881 MARCH 14, 1961
Services at
TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
Isle, Minnesota
Friday, March 17, 1961 2:00 P.M.

Clergyman Officiating
PASTOR SCHLADE

Singers
MRS. ALLAN OBERG
MRS. WALLACE TRAMM

Piano Player
MRS. REV. SCHLADE

Pallbearers
KENNETH TRAMM LESTER OLSON
WILLIAM GUDIM RICHARD BROWN
WALLACE TRAMM JAMES WALTERS

Final Resting Place
FOSTER CEMETERY

Arrangements by LOFGREN FUNERAL HOME, Isle, Minnesota,
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In memory of

MARY JANE STEELE TRAMM

Our dear Mother, Sister, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Great-Great Grandmother and Friend.

Born: September 20, 1881 Died: March 14, 1961

A Tribute, as written by a very dear friend of Grandma Mary Steele Tramm ........... Mrs. Gunderson of Minneapolis, MN.

The memories of our Christian Mother are and will always be sacred and dear to us all. Her life, given so completely to her children, was one comparable to Hannah, mother of the great Prophet Samuel of Israel.

Mother took us to Sunday School and Church and taught us our childish prayers, even as Hannah took Samuel, her son, to the temple each day to pray.

She dedicated each one of us to the Lord and prayed each day for His watchful care over us.

Truly, in sincere reverence, we shall always carry in our hearts the words of Hannah, whenever we speak and think of our own dear saintly Mother.

"Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord." I Samuel 1:28
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History of Mary Jane Steele Tramm

MARY JANE STEELE was born in Ontario, Canada on September 20,1881. She lived here with her parents, Robert Steele and Priscilla Jane Wilson, until about age 6, when they moved to Renville County, Minnesota.

She married Charles Tramm on November I, 1900 in Redwood County, Minnesota. Charles operated the drayline here for a few years and later had a large farm southwest of Renville.

Bernice, William, Myrtle, Walter, Viola, Nellie, Bessie and Lillian were all born in Southern Minnesota. The family moved to Aitkin County, Minnesota, in 1922, where they farmed an 80 acre farm. Shirley was born here.

They moved to Isle, Minnesota in 1936, where they resided until Charles passed away in 1940. Mary Steele Tramm was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Isle, and later attended the Grace Lutheran Church in Minneapolis until the time of her passing.

For a few years, Mary continued to live in Isle with her two daughters, Lillian and Shirley.

In 1941 she moved to Minneapolis, and for a few years did house-keeping jobs, until she went to live with her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. & Mrs. Dwight Olson (Bessie). She made her home with them until her passing March 14, 1961.

Grandma's special talent and hobby of writing her thoughts and prayers in poetry will always be treasured and remembered lovingly by her family and friends as we read them here.

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Poem by Mary

His Book
If I should live a thousand years
And search it every day
The Precious Word of God would still
Shed light upon my way

Exhaustless store of treasured gems
Within this Book I hold
And as I read it comes alive
New treasures to unfold.

The Author is my dearest friend,
So we oft commune awhile.
Sweet foretaste of the joy to come
Beyond that long last mile.

Should every other earthly thing
Be severed from my grasp
I pray that I may ever hold
My Bible till the last

But should the printed page dissolve
Or failing sight grow dim
Remembering I'll oft repeat
Sweet promises from Him.

And when someday He calls me home
And I at last can look
Upon His face, I'll want to kneel
And thank him for His Book.
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Poem by Mary

Grace Gospel Assembly
Written for Rev. Carl Pelten, pastor of
Grace Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1957…

There is a beautiful church on Tenth Avenue
So wonderful to see;
No one can know how beautiful
Or what it means to me.

Open the door and walk right in,
And, Oh, the smiles you see.
Go right in there ahead
Is, "I am Lord that healeth thee."

Oh, it's wondrous beauty
And the love that dwells therein:
It makes you forget your trouble
And such a thought as sin.

To listen to Brother Pelton's sermons
They are so wonderful to hear:
They take away your troubles
And fill your heart with cheer.

It was Brother Pelton's earnest prayer
And God's own loving way,
That healed the trouble in my limbs
And I can walk today.

Oh, Dear God, I thank you:
And love you more each day,
I hope I can repay you all
In my own loving way.

When it comes my time to go,
And I say my last goodbye:
I know I'll see you face to face
In that land beyond the sky.
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Poem by Mary
Does your life seem a failure

Does your life seem but a failure
And your labor all in vain?
Does old Satan often tempt you
When your breath you can't, regain?
When your sky is gray and dismal
And you've almost, reached despair,
I'm so glad, dear one, to tell you
There is help for you in prayer.

When your loved ones turn against you
And from friends you have to part
Turn your face to God and Heaven,
He will heal your broken heart
Clouds of sorrow will diminish
And your sky will turn to blue.
Praise the blessed name of Jesus
He is one who will be true.
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Poem by Mary
Prayer

How wonderful when Days are dark
And my heart is full of care
That I have but to bow my head
And find my God in prayer

Have but to ask and God will give
Me needed strength to bear
The burdens of the day
If I but go to him in prayer

So every day I bow my head
Although my skies are fair
And offer up my thanks to God
For the privilege of prayer

There is power in unspoken thought
A power in the word we say
That will forge the link to bind us to God
If we but pause and pray

Sometimes when sorrow fills my cup
And overflows it's brim
I steal away and talk with God
And share my grief with him

Our walk with the Savior may often be dreary
Our skies become cloudy and gray
There is a light and a prize at the end of the road
When we come to the close of a day

Our paths may be rocky.... Infested with thorn
And our load be heavy to bear
We'll forget every stone that lay in our path
When we get to God's city up there
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Poem by Mary
My Desire

To be a little kinder every day
To those I love along the way.
To claim my share of work or play
And never feel ashamed to kneel and pray.


Heaven

When I think of that wonderful city
That Jesus has gone to prepare
Where the saints will be free from all worry
With no burden to carry up there.
We'll be happy with Jesus forever
No more to be ill or afraid.
I am glad for our hope of that city
Where the flowers of God never fade.
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Poem by Mary
My Family

The dearest of treasures
That e'er will be mine
Are my happy children,
My family of nine.

There is Bernice and Billie
And Myrtle so sweet,
But when I got Walter,
I sure got a treat.

Then came Viola and Nellie
And Bessie so dear;
And Lillian, the darling,
Brought lots of cheer.

Then came little Shirley,
That baby of mine.
That ended the list
Of that family of mine.

Now isn't that a treasure
Far better than Gold
And something to lean on
Now I'm growing old?

In Gods Care

I place my dear ones
in God's care.
What they have done
is God's to share.
What they shall do
is God's to choose.
Their hearts made true
is God's to use.


So often our hearts here are broken.
Just why, we don't understand.
But the day will dawn for God's people
When they'll live in His beautiful land.
Oh, the brightness and heavenly glory
That will shine from our Savior's dear face.
Dear friend, "twill be worth every effort
As we strive for that beautiful place.

I'll be here when He calls me from glory
In hope I will see His dear face.
I will hear Him call my name
On that, bright and eternal morn.
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Poem by Mary
My True Companion

I love to talk with Jesus
My counselor and friend
He is my true companion
Through to Journey's end.

I place upon His shoulders
My problems large and small,
He will solve them for me
And free me from them all.

We have a friend in Jesus
With friendship staunch and true
And all He asks is faith in Him,
And love from me to you.

Then on the day of reckoning
We shall meet Him face to face
And all who followed in His steps
Shall share in His embrace.
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Poem by Mary
The Way to be Happy

Lovingly give each day of your life
Something to help another.
A word of cheer to a friend most dear
A thought to a struggling brother.

Or just a smile to a little child
A flower to dear old mother.
A kiss or two, perhaps a few
For a sweetheart or a lover.

A kindly deed for a friend in need
Will help a face grow brighter.
A cheerful song might help along
Borne heart to be much lighter.

Or just a prayer that all may share
Even though it be a stranger.
For often a word of comfort heard
Has saved a soul from danger.

So let us give each day we live
A thought to one another.
And let no heart be set apart,
Without a friend or brother.
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Mary married Charles Simeon TRAMM [34] [MRIN: 17], son of Emil TRAMM [522] and Lidia BURCH [523], on 1 Nov 1900 in Redwood County MN. (Charles Simeon TRAMM [34] was born on 26 Oct 1876 and died on 11 Dec 1940.)

  Marriage Notes:

Hi Terry,
Yes, I use Family Tree Maker and I also have a new scanner. I just haven't had time to use it yet. How would we "share" the info? I'm afraid I'm not too good at all this stuff yet. Still learning. I'm off this weekend and will try to scan and send you some photos.

I didn't have any middle name for Mary until I received a copy of some research done by Tom Engeman who is a descendent of Nellie Steele (Mary's sister). He went to Redwood Falls and looked through the records for all Steeles. There was a marriage record for Mary and Charles Tramm. Here's what he sent me:

Mary Steele Charles Tramm 11/1/1900 Delhi
Marriage officiated by Rev. Herbert McHenry
Witnesses: Robert Steele
James Steele (Prob misspelled and is really Jane)
Book E page 87

He also sent a list of birth records. Here's where I got the middle name of Ellen:

Redwood County, Minnesota Birth Records
TRAMM Bernice Jayne 2/16/1901 Book B Page 61 Line 30
Father: Charles S. Tramm 24
Mother: Mary Ellen Steele 20
Redwood Falls

There is another Steele relative named Mary Ellen - your Mary's oldest sister Joan (Nonie or Nona) (Steele) Galvin had a daughter named Mary Ellen Galvin. Perhaps she was named after your Mary.

Vicki