Watchtower Farms Cemetery (page 2)

Doubting Bro

Don't they call it the "launching pad" or something like that?

Here's a question. I thought I would look to see which of the burials was the oldest, and found A H MacMillan who died in 1966. But the attached obit says "He was buried August 29, 1966 at the Bethel Family plot in Staten Island. " Were his remains removed or is the obit in error?

dropoffyourkeylee

How about compiling a brief bio of each of the 160 names at the WT cemetery. Here's one that I remember meeting back in the day.

John Kurzen 1913-1980

Mr Kurzen was a longtime Bethelite. He had his brother Russell had both been there since the 30's when I met them in the late 70's. John was a bit of an inventor and tinkerer. He had supposedly designed the Fisher body emblem and received royalties for each car that Chrysler made. He had enough money to have his own car (a Citroen). He was the man who designed the folding phonograph that the JW's carried door to door to play Rutherford's sermons. Both the Kurzens were friendly and pleasant to talk to.

dropoffyourkeylee

bump, in case anyone else cares to comment

Apognophos

I didn't know any of them well enough to contribute an epitaph. What strikes me, going down the list and picking out the well-known names, is how darn long practically every one of them lived -- many to around 90-100 years. They well exceeded Moses' "70 or 80" years, almost as if they were determined to live long enough to see the new system, and yet their end still came before The End came. Rather poignant.

Scully

This is the kind of thing that needs to be compiled for every JW and child of JWs who died for lack of a blood transfusion. As well as people who committed suicide after being DFd from the JWs.

Gayle

I wonder how many are dying there but having cremations now-a-days. The WTS has to cut costs?

HappyDad

Thanks for posting this Gorbatchov. A lot of names I recognize. Only one that I knew persdnally though. David Beigler (if it is the same person) was our district overseer in the Pittsburgh area in the 1980's.

HappyDad

dropoffyourkeylee

Giovanni DeCecca

1879-1965

When I visited Bethel in abt 1976, Sister DeCecca was still living and was one of the highlights to be able to meet. She was quite old and had little to say except simple greetings. Believe it or not, she had a Bethel job even at that age and was working in the Bethel laundry, though honestly she didn't seem to be doing anything.

Her husband Giovanni DeCecca was one of the 7 people sent with Rutherford to the Atlanta Pen in 1918. He was of very short stature, and was born in Italy. In 1918 he was not one of the directors of the Society, contrary to some of the published accounts, but I think he was a director in the later years.

I am surprised to see his name listed as buried at WT farms, at the same time I wonder where his wife is.

gymbob

Seeing this made me very sad. So many old names of people I'd not thought about for so long. A dozen or so folks who I worked with and knew years ago at Bethel in another life...

Watchtower Farms Cemetery

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