Calvary Cemetery is one of DeSoto’s large ones, located north of the city proper. Over two thousand graves on a gentle but noticeable hillside. Its proximity to a busy and noisy car wash make it a little less than peaceful.
The cemetery goes back many years is very well maintained and still taking in new burials. Several fresh graves stood out brown against the recently mowed grass.
I parked at the bottom of the hill in front of the small, tidy mausoleum/chapel, the only shady spot I could both get to and be out of the way.
Calvary was chosen once again for the high ratio of requests vs. internments, still trying to knock out the most in one trip as possible. Since autumn of last year thirteen new requests had come in, adding to the four that I could not locate there last year.
The list was promising, several with deaths recorded in the mid 1900’s, several with familiar family names. I had a list of seventeen in a five – seven acre field.
I McGyver-ed up a new gadget this trip. I folded the list in quarters so that the important columns were visible over two sides, then used a hole punch to cut an inch-long channel in one side to allow me to attach a retractable clip to it. It’s one of those things people clip to their belt so they can dangle access/ID cards yet have them easily accessible. This worked much better than just shoving the list into my sweaty pocket. I also clipped a ballpoint to it to mark off the names as I found them.
This was a full grid search, starting at the eastern-most point since that’s the direction the vast majority of the stones pointed. They were lined up pretty well, though it still took nearly two hours to zig-zag from one end to the other.
Four of the names, all ‘Martin’s’ I had little hope for. I couldn’t find them the last time I went, and a cross-reference with the Historical Society’s transcription list didn’t show them either. I kept the surname in my head though which was pretty easy since another cluster of three had shared the family name Lewis. Martin and Lewis, get it? No? Maybe you’re just not old enough.
Which leads to memory tricks of the trade. My list this day had eleven different family names. I do not have a photographic memory. So the first thing I do is sit for a moment and read though the list of names, last name only, over and over, about twenty or more times. Reading them aloud helps too, and it also helps to mispronounce them to make them more memorable. For example certain German-ish names which are very common in these parts can be difficult to try to pronounce/memorize without assistance, but if that name is ‘Schnitker’, well, use your imagination. All that is needed is to get close enough, then a cross reference to the list itself at that point will take care of the rest.
So up and down we go, (literally up and down at this cemetery, my calves are screaming today.) looking as deep as possible, looking for names on stones to trigger a familiarity. When a name pops, I cross-check. If it is that family name I snap a photo whether it is exactly the stone I’m looking for or not, a new policy of mine. If it is an exact match, I cross it out on the list.
The only downside is a big list against a big cemetery, sometimes about mid-way through a lot more names seem familiar as I’ve been reading off hundreds of them, many of them fairly common. I don’t know how many times I stopped at ‘Boyer’ thinking that it was on the list, it wasn’t, there’s just a whole bunch of Boyer’s in this cemetery.
After that it’s just diligence, perseverance and vigilance. Of the list of new requests, I only didn’t find two exact matches, a Pashia, though there were other Pashia’s that I did photograph, and a Bates. The Bates name didn’t show up on the Jeffco transcription list either. So it is likely that on the entire list, I only missed one.
They’ll remain on the list, as with the Martin’s from last year so when I, or another volunteer swings through again there will be another opportunity to find them.
Interesting additional data this week, one of those I found had an obituary posted on Find A Grave,
Memorial# 67232385
Ronald Warden
Dayton Ohio Fire Dept.
Appointed: July 5, 1960
Died: March 9, 1965
Ron Warden was stationed at Company 6 at Third and Montgomery Streets. In addition to his firefighting duties, he was the company cook.
During a fire at the Ungerleider Motor Co. at 415 N. Main Street, part of the building collapsed trapping Ron and two other firefighters. Two of the firefighters were trapped only briefly and escaped with minor injuries. Ron was apparently crushed by an I-beam during the collapse. He had just celebrated his 28th birthday.
Also on my list was Agnes Crabtree, 1918-1997. Only interesting in that my father’s lineage has Crabtree branches.
And finally in honor of Memorial Day, and those for whom we set aside this day to memorialize, Mr. Schnitker’s Government Issue footstone:
It took five shots on a very windy day to get the little flag to cooperate for this desired result.
Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) - October 7, 1999
Deceased Name: Wilfred A. "Bill" Schnitker
75, of De Soto, died Saturday (Oct. 2, 1999) at Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Crystal City.
Mr. Schnitker was a carman for Union Pacific Railroad. He was a life member of De Soto Elks Lodge 689 and AMVETS Post 48 and was past Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus. He served in the Army in World War II and during the Berlin crisis. He was retired from the Army Missouri National Guard's 1035th Division.
Thanks Mr. Schnitker.
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