The following is an excerpt from the May 30, 2010 South Bend Tribune website.

By SHERRY VAN ARSDALL
Tribune Staff Writer

NILES — Until three years ago, Gerhard Gipner, of California, said he was under the impression that he was the only Gipner in the United States.

Then a relative from Germany was doing genealogy research and came across the name John Gipner.

"I was asked to do some further research because they didn't speak or read English," Gerhard said.

And what Gerhard discovered in his research, he shared with the crowd at the gravesite garden dedication for John Gipner Saturday at Silverbrook Cemetery.

"I had no idea one of my ancestors had made a name for himself as a famous gardener in Niles, Michigan," he said. "I am so excited and happy to be here and see that his legacy lives on."

He attended the dedication with his wife Margrit.

"We're just honored to be relatives," she said. "I'm just related by marriage."

Click here for the full article at the South Bend Tribune website.