Conversations were a wonderful mix of small-talk, humor, high-energy quips, group interaction, retrospection, and reflection. When there was humor some of it was side-splitting, when it became reflective, the close observer would recognize the power and the humanity of the moment. I was personally touched by the sincerity of Bob Grunthaner's remarks regarding the content and the heart & soul that was evident in my newsletters, correspondences, and the essays now in my new web log. I expressed my appreciation for his reflections responding that with myself having more time, I'm trying to put more quality in whatever efforts I undertake.
The evening's piece de resistance had to be the stories Barbara was conveying. Barbara, among other things in her storied life(and maybe those will be considered worthy of sharing some day), does volunteer work giving tours at our Forest Lawn Cemetery. Wow!!! Barbara had these individuals come to life, so-to-speak, as she revealed the intrigue wrapped around some very very famous Family names. Maria and I were fascinated and touched by the story centered around the Blocher Mausoleum. So much so, that our Maria researched a biography of the Blocher Family and Mausoleum. It reads as follows:
Nelson Blocher born in 1847. In the spring of 1881, the Blochers hired a new maid. Katherine was 20 years old, pretty and unattached. Nelson was immediately smitten and made no attempt to hide it. During the spring and summer of 1881, he found ways to be near Katherine and to spend time with her. There is reference to an injured kitten Nelson and Katherine nursed back to health. Nelson’s parents did not approve of the romance and quickly made plans to put an end to it. In the fall of 1881, Nelson’s father John announced that there was business to be attended to in Europe and Nelson needed to make plans to leave for an extended trip. Plainly, Nelson’s father wanted to separate the couple and put an end to the romance.
The Blochers fired Katherine with a strict admonition never to return.
In the spring of 1882, when Nelson returned from his travels, Katherine was gone and nobody seemed to know where she went. John and Elizabeth Blocher told their son that two weeks after Nelson left for Europe, Katherine had stealed away in the middle of the night, leaving nothing behind but her bible. Nelson was heartbroken. He couldn’t believe she had left without even leaving a note. There must have been a reason and he was determined to find her and convince her to come back. Throughout the remainder of 1882 he searched for her. And like the lovelorn for eons before him, he neglected his business and health in pursuit of love.
By the fall of 1883, Nelson was tired and wornout from his search. Broken in spirit and sick with a fever, Nelson took to his bed. By early winter of 1884 he was drifting in and out of sickness and depression. Soon he became bedridden. His only solace was the bible Katherine had left behind. Then on January 24th, 1884 Nelson’s time in this realm was over. He died with Katherine’s bible clutched to his breast.
Nelson’s mother, Elizabeth, no doubt driven by a maternal blend of love and guilt, insisted that a suitable memorial be erected to her son. The task of designing the monument would fall to the creative hand of John Blocher. At the time of Nelson’s death, John Blocher was semi-retired. He had taken up sculpting as a hobby and would use those skills in designing the Blocher monument. The legend maintains that the maid herself posed for the angel sculpture.
The first resident of the mausoleum was Nelson, who had spent the years since his death in the cemetery’s receiving vault. Following him were his mother, Elizabeth Neff Blocher, who died of pneumonia at age 78 on March 31, 1904 and John Blocher, who died of “old age” on June 30, 1911 at the age of 85.
But where exactly are the Blochers spending eternity? They are underneath a movable slab in the floor of the mausoleum. According to a Buffalo newspaper report published when the mausoleum was being built, there are six crypts. This story led to a rumor that, in the safe of the cemetery office, there is a quit claim deed stating that one of the other crypts is reserved for Margaret Katherine Sullivan—the maid. This story became fodder for romantic stories—that often ran around Valentine’s Day— suggesting that although the love struck Nelson could not have Katherine in life there was still a possibility he might spend eternity with her.
Alas, Forest Lawn management tells us that there are only three crypts below the Blochers’ marble likenesses. Poor Nelson is spending eternity just as he did in life—with his parents. The whereabouts of the maid in unknown.
Ultimately, because of a Forbidden Love never consummated, pressured to believe the Servant Katy had abandoned him, Nelson grieves so much of his love lost, that he slips into a dpression, LOSES HIS MIND, self-destructs, and dies. The haloed angel that rests atop the mausoleum is said to be the Angel Katy watching over his his reposed soul. I'm getting that lump in my throat, again!!!
And here is the deal folks!!! We had so much fun on Wednesday, we are going to do it, on a grander dutch-treat!?!? scale, on Friday 8 Jan 2010 at the old High School hang-out Casa di Pizza on Elmwood Ave. in Buffalo NY. Bob Marzullo, may not want to go back to Florida!!!!
And here is the deal folks!!! We had so much fun on Wednesday, we are going to do it, on a grander dutch-treat!?!? scale, on Friday 8 Jan 2010 at the old High School hang-out Casa di Pizza on Elmwood Ave. in Buffalo NY. Bob Marzullo, may not want to go back to Florida!!!!
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Hickok
Hickok
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