Visiting the G's and GG's

copyright (c)2014 Rick Walton

Last month, while visiting my parents and sisters, I made a side trip to visit my Grandparents and Great Grandparents. They were all coveniently together, waiting for me, at the Wallkill Cemetery in Middletown, N. Y.



I recall visiting the cemetery as a youngster, and attending both  Grossies (1984) and Ami's (1995) funeral there. I had been back several times to photograph the Packhiser graves, But I don't ever recalling visiting the Kroll Grave site before.


Dad drove me over to the Cemetery during my visit and Mom came along. The cemetery looks small from the road, but once you enter and drive up the road and over the hill, the Cemetery spreads out before you in a sea of headstones, some old and leaning as if tired by their long existence, some new and shiny granite, standing squat and solid in the grassy meadow.

 The Packhiser Graves are to the left, near the front edge. Cars and trucks whiz by down nearby Rt. 17 unaware of this peaceful oasis.

 The Kroll's are to the right...somewhere, at least Mom and Dad thought so.... We drove up and down in making ever widening circles, but their headstone remained unseen. Mom and Dad couldn't recall exactly where it was located but felt we were in the right area. Where did it go? I got out of the car and walked through the center lane of headstones we couldn't read as Dad continued to drive up and around.  Turning down the rear most road, as I was walking down the line of middle headstones, they spotted the Kroll's first. I was a row or two way and heading in that direction.

I had been planning this visit for weeks, but at the last minute I came empty handed. I had planned to take a garden shovel , some clippers, maybe a scrub brush and a spray bottle of water, but in the end I had forgotten my tools. A search of Mom and Dad's car turned up empty except for a snow scraper and brush, which worked surprisingly well to scrape off the Lichen, push away the weeds and sweep away the leaves.

At this Location I found my Great Grandparents, Julius and Ottilie (Herzke) Kroll. Along with their three unmarried daughters. They had a total of Eleven children, some buried here and others scattered across the country.

Someone had visited recently because a smooth  riverstone had been left on the headstone. I left it in place as I took photos and lamented my lack of planning. Fresh flowers would have been a nice touch. The Names of their daughters buried here are pictured below.

After shooting the Kroll Headstone and closeups of the individual names,  I took some broader pictures to help us remember where the grave site is relative to other markers.

We next headed over to the Packhiser's grave site. where I did a quick cleanup and shot some photos, trying to beat the imminent rain. I almost made it, but rain drops splashed down on Ami's grave as I took my final shots.

Again lamenting my lack of planning... I would really have liked to spend a good 30 minutes or so  clearing away the weeds and spiffing up the markers. Fresh flowers would be nice too. Maybe next visit...until then...Rest in PEACE

Raise your Stein to Charles Packer

A.K.A. Erwin Packhiser circa 1926

Copyright (c )2014 Frederick Walton

When I was a boy, I loved to sit next to my grandfather, Erwin Packhiser, in church. His strong, flawless baritone made the hymns come to life. Rolling his R’s,  he sang with a seriousness and passion that made me wonder why he was not up front with the choir. When I was older, I learned he had already spent a lifetime in the choir and as a singer. A lifetime before grandkids, before children, even before he met my grandmother. By 1926 he had made it to New York's BROADWAY

To me and my siblings he was simply Grossie, that's what we called him. It derived from the German word for grandfather...Grosspapa. To theatre audiences in 1926 he was Charles Packer.  

Recently, while scanning some old photographs of him, I noticed writing on the back. My grandmother had labeled some “Student Prince- 1926”.  To family members these pictures are not new news...I'm sure you have seen them dozens of times over the years. It was also no secret that Grossie sang on Broadway,  so on a whim I googled it. I was amazed to find a a Jan 1926 Playbill cover for The Student Prince at Jolson's 59th Street Theatre. I was even more surprised to find Grossie in it!

source: http://www.playbillvault.com/Show/Detail/6245/The-Student-Prince

Jolson’s 59th Street Theatre opened in 1921 at 932 Seventh Avenue, designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp. The Shubert brothers named their new theatre in honor of Al Jolson, who starred in the opening production Bombo. This would be his first and last appearance at the theatre. 

 Five inside pages where also scanned including, on the third scan, a page listing “Students at Heidelberg”. Among the student I found one “Charles Packer”. This was the professional stage name used by Erwin Packhiser. The "students" formed part of the chorus and performed “The Drinking Song”, “to the Inn We’re Marching”, “Serenade” and “Finale”.

The website can be seen here: http://www.playbillvault.com/Show/Detail/6245/The-Student-Prince

Source: http://www.playbillvault.com/images/whos_who/T/h/The-Student-Prince-01-26-3.jpg

The Operetta is about a  German prince who falls for a waitress while completing his university education in a small town in 1860. I recall seeing the movie version with Mario Lanza and the students seemed to have been spending more time with their beers steins than their books :

             Drink! Drink! Drink!

            Ein zwei drei vier

            Lift your stein and drink your beer

Oddly, Grossie never really talked about this part of his life when I was growing up. There were plenty of reminders, from the concert grand piano in the living room, to trunks of stage clothes and old photos in the attic. I wish now that I asked him to tell me about this part of his life. But it's too late, so my memories of him singing are now often stirred when I stand to sing a hymn in Church...and I hope there are words starting with R in the hymn... so I can try to sing like Grossie!