Grotto

To the south Immaculate Heart of Mary Church is the grotto that often goes unnoticed. The grotto was designed by Rev. Joe Stremel. It was built before most WWII memorials were completed in 1947. It was built to honor the two Gold Star Boys, those killed in action, and the other men from Windthorst who served in WWII. 

Joe Duesing, father of Anthony Duesing supervised the building of the grotto. Anthony Duesing was killed in action in the Aleutian Islands on June 28, 1942. The grotto is made of native Stone and cement. The Windthorst parishioners donated the money and volunteered labor to erect the memorial. The Statue inside is Our Lady, Queen of Victory. It was donated by Mrs. Frank Ackerman mother of Edward Ackerman, killed in action on June 2, 1945, in the Philippines