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
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