January 2020

Page A22 JANUARY 2020 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A Bay Memorials 321 S. 15 th St. • Escanaba, MI 49829 • (906) 786-2609 • Fax (906) 786-2692 Zerbel’s www.baymemorialsbabycaskets.com infant Cremation containers Available in 10”, 20”, 30” Flannel Lined Unisex Juvenile Pattern White Corrugated Cardboard Beginning at $20.00 Appropriate For Viewing Teamwork Brings a Vision to Reality Continued from Page A19 the cemetery where Travis’ custom mausoleum builders com- pleted assembly and added customization elements such as facade and parapet, a hand-carved Celtic cross on one, a step into the entryway, stained glass windows and other artistic el- ements to beautify and enhance the structures. Installment of the 50,000-pound mausoleums at the ceme- tery was as large a challenge as the buildings themselves. Trans- porting the massive slabs and enhancements required a dedi- cated oversize-load trailer. Cranes and rigging did the heavy lifting. Most importantly, however, the amount of experience and artisanship on site at the installation was nothing short of industry leading. The on-site team included Minozzi’s father – veteran mausoleum builder and installer Charles Minozzi – as well as a highly respected crew which travels throughout the northeast on technical projects such as this one. St. Anthony’s Cemetery was dedicated to a quality outcome from the beginning. “The cemetery professionals quickly became an in- tegral part of the team that contributed to the overall success, al- lowing us such accommodations as early arrival and set up and flex- ibility when inclement weather interfered with our schedule,” noted Anthony Minozzi, who could not be more pleased. “The project went flawlessly because everyone did more than what was expected,” he contin- ued. “No one ever lost sight that these were not just buildings but final resting places of some- one’s family.” St. Anthony’s Roman Catho- lic Cemetery was started in the year 1899. The Cemetery of- fers a continual place of comfort and peace for those who are part of their living parish. Located in Nyack, NY, Travis Monuments has been provid- ing elegant monument services and products for more than 100 years. They are members of the NewYork State Monument Build- ers Association and the Monument Builders of North America. L i k e Us On Facebook! Todd W. Van Beck is associated with John A. Gupton College in Nashville, and has been an author, teacher, practitioner, and speak- er for over 40 years. On May 30, 2018 Van Beck celebrated 50 years in funeral service. You can reach Todd at 615-327-3927. www.nomispublications.com Funeral Home & Cemetery News Contributors share insights and exchange ideas. Blogs • A lens polisher • A tiny pencil • Tiny fragments of red and green hard candy • A fine brownish pow- der which appeared to be snuff • A brown leather wallet (one section was engraved “U.S. Cur- rency” and another section was engraved “Notes”.) • The wallet contained: a Confederate five dollar note, nine old newspaper clippings. Included among these clippings were two articles of praise and five others deal- ing with issues that were on Lincoln’s mind during the final months of his life. Lincoln loved dogs. As a boy Lincoln’s dog was named Honey. While living in Springfield, Lincoln had a dog named Fido which the Lincoln boys adored. In the White House the Lincoln’s had a dog named Jip. Lincoln also liked kittens and cats. The name of Lincoln’s White House cat was Tabby, and Lincoln would feed both the dog and the cat from the dinner table. In fact the cat was given a chair right next to the president, and Lincoln fed the cat with the White House utensils that he himself was using to eat his food! Mary Lincoln felt this habit was in poor taste. Lincoln hated the name Abe. No one would have used Abe in his presence. Lincoln valued his escape from pover- ty into a dignified successful life and thought that Abe was beneath him. Obviously others agreed with him; his own wife always called him Mr. Lincoln throughout their life together and even after his death. For 87 years it was thought no photographs of Lincoln existed of him with the coffin open. In 1952, 14 year old Ronald Rietveld discovered a photo hidden in the Illinois State Historical Library while researching the papers of Lincoln’s personal secretaries. The photograph had been taken by photographer Jeremiah Gurney, Jr. on April 24, 1865 as the body lay in state in City Hall in New York. The photo, confiscated by Secretary of War Edwin Stan- By Todd Van Beck President Lincoln had died. The country was stunned and the funeral profession would be forever changed over the next 20 days. There’s been nothing comparable to Lincoln’s final odyssey. It made the unreal real for mil- lions, some 90 years before the advent of television. This is the final piece in our 18 part series on the Lincoln Funeral. We finish up here with a bit of trivia I have col- lected over the years – most of which I share during my presentations of the Lincoln assassination program, which so often is to a packed house. I have found that even those that dislike history have a great interest in the Lincoln fu- neral. Anyway that is one old undertaker’s opinion. –TVB The Lincoln Funeral Diary Route of Lincoln’s Funeral Train ton, was unknown until re-discovered by Rietveld. Dr. Rietveld retired in 2009 as a professor emeritus at California State University in Fullerton. Lincoln did not attend his own fa- ther’s funeral, nor did he visit his father on the old man’s death bed. Upon being informed of his father’s declining health, Lincoln refused to visit him and asked his step- brother to “Say to him that if we could meet now, it is doubtful whether it would not be more painful than pleasant.” Thomas Lincoln died five days later. Abraham Lincoln, raised by Baptist parents, occa- sionally attended the Presbyterian Church in Spring- field and Washington. The Lincolns were married by an Episcopal minister. However, Lincoln never joined a church during his life. He sporadically attended services with his wife as she was a member of the Presbyterian Church and he was not. Once a shot was fired through Lincoln’s hat while the president was on horseback near the Soldier’s Home. Lincoln said it was a hunter who lost his aim, but it was probably a sniper! The incident happened in August of 1864. Lincoln asked that no mention of it be made to the public as this would worry his wife Mary. Next month begins the new series, Rest In Peace, Mr. President . The goal of this series is to feature, in presidential order, the uniqueness of the presidential fu- neral programs. The items in Abraham Lincoln’s pockets the night of the assassination were as follows: • A pocketknife • A linen handkerchief • A sleeve button • A fancy watch fob • Two pairs of spectacles Lincoln Trivia