Tree Shaped Tombstones - Bloomer Wisconsin

Years ago I visited a cemetery in Bloomer Wisconsin.  Oh it had a few "tree shaped tombstones" but nothing remarkable.  Well, the other day I took a wrong turn going out of the place and ran across another, smaller cemetery.  Catholic in its persuasion, which means you get the distinctive "Christ on the Cross" variations...

There were two nice specimens near each other.  And they make an interesting pairing.

This one is older.  As you can see below Wenzel Recha died ("Gestorben") in 1888.  At that point in time his monument was carved in his native German.  "Ruht in Frieden". Rests in Peace.

And here's a generation later, a man who died in 1909.  English for the tombstone now.

Also of course a German name, and from the early dates of birth it seems likely that these men were both born in the Old Country.  But the old ways fade.

Of course not in my family, I'm told my father still grew up speaking German in the 1920's.  And that of course was after all things Teutonic became a bit unpopular during World War One.