Southwick's Board of Selectmen held a special town meeting in Consolidated School's auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on December 20, 1950. Articles up for vote included authorizing the board to purchase roughly 10 acres of land on College Highway from the heirs of the late Walter Stenstrom to expand the town's cemetery. Walter's mother, Johanna Marie ("Maria"), his younger sister, Margit, and his older brother, Edward, had no use for the property since they lived in New York. Back on September 15, Edward visited Walter's home. Not finding his brother in the house, he checked the barn outback and saw his brother's body hanging from the rafters. The medical examiner estimated that Walter had been dead for about six hours. He ruled the cause of death as suicide by hanging. Walter was only 47. The vote to expand the cemetery passed. (The sale did not include Walter's house and barn.) In 1949, Walter's wife, Sophie Rose (Simcak), filed for divorce. Sophie cl