Cemetery Memoirs

05/01/2026

Visiting this cemetery/church today and the song Gangstas Paradise came on the radio. It got me thinking:

What is the most interesting song that you have ever heard while at the cemetery?

04/11/2026

Foster Children Tragedy. The children don't seem to have headstones in the cemetery but according to this marker they are there. Very sad.

Bethel Cemetery

03/15/2026

Today is the anniversary of the 2009 murder of 33 year old Sgt Chad Mechels. Sgt Mechels was a son, husband and father. He was shot in the line of duty West of Marion, SD while doing a welfare check for a possibly suicidal 19 year old male. On November 17, 2010, the murderer pleaded guilty to one count of murder in the second degree which carries a mandatory life sentence.

03/06/2026

A Labrador mix puppy with a jet black coat and a white blaze on his chest was born in the crawlspace beneath the police building in Boulder City, Nevada in 1932.

A laborer brought the puppy to the Hoover dam worksite. He was welcomed with open arms. Political correctness was not practiced at that time and they called the dog ”Nig.”

The dog was able to move around the construction catwalk. Nig could climb up ladders and into tunnels without fear.

Nig came to the site every morning from Boulder City with the men. At the end of the day he returned to town. The people of Boulder City would feed him treats. This caused him to get sick. This caused a notice to be put into the newspaper by the town doctor:

I Love Candy but it makes me sick
It is also bad for my coat
Please don’t’ feed me any more.
Your friend, Nig.

When Nig got better, the men decided they would contribute money to improve Nig’s diet. His meal was made by the same people that fed the laborers. He ate with them daily.

After construction, the main building crews left but a new group arrived to set up the hydroelectric turbines that fed power to the municipal utility that provided water and converted it to power.

On February 21, 1941, it was unseasonably hot and Nig looked for shade under an idling truck. The driver didn't realize that Nig had crawled under the rig. Nig was run over by the truck.

Nig was buried in a concrete crypt near the Nevada abutment.

02/07/2026

02/07/2026

Victor Arbelaez
8/14/53-10/11/2007
Palm Memorial Park - Las Vegas, NV

Victor Arbelaez was a member of the 1975 NCAA champion University of San Francisco soccer team. His playing career included nine years in the professional ranks, with two as a member of the long-since-defunct Las Vegas Quicksilvers of the North American Soccer League.
After years at professional play he went to Southern Nevada to coach at Bishop Gorman High School. In his 22 seasons leading Gorman's program, Victor compiled a 371-31-8 record and won 12 state titles.

Victor was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2002. His son took over his coaching duties the year before his death but Victor did come back to assist.

Victor collapsed during a Gorman practice at the Kellogg-Zaher Soccer Complex on West Washington Avenue at 3:45 p.m. on October 11, 2007 and died 25 minutes later at Summerlin Hospital.

A new soccer field was dedicated as Victor Park in 2009.
"I think 'Victor Park' really fits," Nick Arbelaez said. "It's all part of victory. It's everything he represented. One of my dad's favorite soccer stadiums was Wembley Stadium (in England), and that's named after an individual. Having that one name and then 'Park' after it is really special."

He was survived by his ex-wife, Mary, with whom he remained close friends, and his sons Nick and Victor Jr., known as "Boomer," a professional soccer player, and daughter Jackie.

02/06/2026

With Graveyard Girl – I'm on a streak! I've been a top fan for 20 months in a row. 🎉

01/31/2026

Alfred "Eddie" DiMarino
10/10/53-4/5/17
Palm Memorial Las Vegas NV

In Maryland, Eddie played bass guitar as a member of the local popular band Joy. Eddie is listed as an inductee in the Maryland Entertainment Hall of Fame.
Eddie relocated to Las Vegas in 1977 where he performed with many top artists including Wayne Newton, The Smith Brothers, and The Righteous Brothers.

01/23/2026

Cody Alan Verdon
10/6/91 to 8/16/2013
Collins Cemetery, Willow Lake SD

Cody was a member of the Willow Lake graduating Class of 2010. He attended WyoTech Daytona, Florida for motorcycle technology program. After he was done with college, he worked at Verdon Roofing and Construction. He was baptized at Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer at Watertown and confirmed at Grace Lutheran Church in Willow Lake. Cody loved fixing and restoring bikes. His latest motorcycle was painted orange and black, his favorite colors. He loved hanging out with his friends, technology and his art of fitness training and protein. Cody passed away from an unfortunate motorcycle accident. On August 9, 2013, Cody was traveling east on Highway 28 on a 2008 Harley Davidson motorcycle. A Watertown woman was traveling west, driving a 2008 Ford Focus. The woman began to make a left-hand turn into Willow Lake and failed to see Cody’s motorcycle. The motorcycle struck the Ford, throwing Cody from the motorcycle. He unfortunately was not wearing a helmet. He passed away a few days later.

01/02/2026

Frosty morning at St Thomas cemetery in Madison SD