In 2012 we finished our work on the new Coen Memorial Gate on the south side of the cemetery. This was made possible by a gift from the Conrad Coen estate in memory of his father Theodore Coen, a long time Pine Island resident. On the right side are some of the construction steps in the process. The following is the inscription on the plaque of the memorial podium looking back on the gate
Theodore Coen was born in Pine Island in 1904. Ted or “T. C.” as he was known grew up in Pine Island and married Louise Majerus in 1931. Ted was first appointed local Justice of the Peace in 1933. In 1935 he left and 5 years later returned to serve again as Justice of the Peace until the Municipal Court was created in 1946. Appointed Municipal Judge he served until his retirement in 1969.
His numerous contributions to Pine Island include: long time secretary of the Pine Island Cemetery, city and county assessor, Goodhue County Draft Board, Secretary of the Masonic Lodge and passionate supporter of the Boy Scouts.
His cemetery work began in 1933 when he reorganized, collected and recorded missing data. The records he created are still being used in 2010 as we convert to computerized records. Ted, often with help from his children and grandchildren, did maintenance at the cemetery. He instilled, in his family, a love and appreciation for the Pine Island Cemetery that is evident to this day.
Conrad Coen, Ted’s son, born in Pine Island, went on to a career as an executive with Ford Motor Company and Director of Worldwide Procurement & Planning at Chrysler Corporation.
Father - Theodore Conrad Coen 1904-1982 Son – Conrad Theodore Coen 1933-2003
Both men and their wives are interred in the Pine Island Cemetery
The Pine Island cemetery is over 160 years old. The original cemetery was moved to what is now the north central part of the current cemetery imediately to the east of the Ahneman Memorial Gate shown to the left. The oldest record of burial we have in our system is 1854, but there are burials with unrecorded dates which surely procede our recored dates.
The Pine Island Cemetery