My article 'Westchester in Repose' is the cover story for July's American Cemetery & Cremation' magazine. Stories and photos from Gate of Heaven, Ferncliff, Kensico, Sleepy Hollow, and more, are featured.
The memorial that graces the cover commemorates the life of 27-year-old Marc Antony Zambetti, who tragically lost his life while on a business trip for Stella D'Oro, his family's company.
Near the edge of Green -Wood Cemetery, a sculpture of a beautiful woman –Rose Guarino--reclining across stone steps stops visitors in their tracks. Open-eyed, with lips parted and long hair flowing, she is dressed in a flowing gown, and wearing sandals. She clutches a bouquet in her hands. For generations, Brooklyn locals have believed that the monument commemorates a mafia bride gunned down on her wedding day in a revenge killing. The true story behind the statue does involve a murder and is just as tragic. In the summer of 1909, Dominica Merello and her daughter, Rose Guarino, were dining with family members on the lawn of their NJ summer home when Pietro Silverio, an irate domestic employee, rushed the women, gun in hand, to exact revenge for losing his job. As the women attempted to flee, Silverio gave chase and shot Guarino in the back. She died three days later. Guarino's body was held for two years in the cemetery's receiving vault while the monument w...
I've been visiting Nelson DeMille's grave periodically since his death in September. Yesterday, I was pleased to see that his name and dates have finally been etched into the stone. DeMille is buried with his beloved wife, Sandy, in a serene spot in one of Long Island's most bucolic and historic cemeteries. There, he takes his place among many other prominent Long Islanders. I love that there is a bench in front of the monument. It invites visitors to sit and read from one of his books. Since DeMille's death, I have been reading the books he wrote that I hadn't read before. "Gold Coast" remains my favorite. My profile of his funeral was featured in American Funeral Director magazine back in December and is included in the new compilation, Funerals of the Famous Vol. 10.
Some of my best cemetery finds have come my way through pure serendipity. Walking through a cemetery can be a solemn and, at times, an eerie experience. The silence, the weathered tombstones, and the weight of history all cast a mysterious cloak over the atmosphere. Yet, amidst the somber surroundings, there are occasions when serendipity sweeps in to unearth unexpected stories that lie quietly beneath the gravestones. Cemeteries are not solely the resting place of the departed: they are also a testament to the lives lived, the triumphs and struggles woven into the fabric of humanity. Each tombstone tells a unique tale, often with fragments of personal narratives that time has erased. But sometimes, amid the rows of weathered memorials, a serendipitous find sheds light on forgotten stories, connecting us to the past in ways we never imagined. One might stumble upon a gravestone adorned with flowers, meticulously maintained despite the passage of time. Curiosity piqued, we learn that a ...
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