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document the final resting spot of out great-great-grandfather Henry Deuel, which Cindy
1874, and without any headstone to mark his grave. As with everything Cindy did in life,
she was fired with an unlimited determination, guided by a passion for a good mystery
and inspired by a love of things historical. Most importantly, she was touched by the
lives of the families of those who walked before - those forgotten men, woman and
children, who paved the path for us. For every time Cindy and I were scanning a
census record pre-1900, we knew all the thousands of names slowly scrolling by, were
no longer with us. A respectful sadness makes you want to know about these people
and especially your ancestors. And with the more you learn, the more you want to know.
Our great grandfather John J. Deuel was just one of these people. He ran a poolroom
and tobacco shop on Main Ave. in Passaic in the early 1880's. Cindy was scanning the
Passaic newspaper for advertisements he had placed. That was when she found an
obituary listing for John's infant son George. The paper mentioned George was interred
at Cedar Lawn. With one call to Cedar Lawn, Cindy then learned who else was buried
with John's son in this very plot. Cindy had found our g-g-grandfather Henry. How
Cindy loved Henry. We knew from John's marriage certificate that Henry Deuel was his
father. We could talk about Henry for hours on end. Where was Henry from? Who was
Henry's father? We could spend hours at the library, looking for him in census records.
I used to buy O'Henry candy bars in hopes that it would bring us luck in finding out
about him. I got the biggest kick when I found out that Cindy followed my lead and also
started snacking on O'Henrys. Henry is still a mystery to me, but no longer to Cindy.
Along with Henry's grandchild George who is buried here, there are twin boys, Henry
and John. All three died as infants. Cindy is now their guardian angel, all having died
like Cindy, long before their time. We chose Cedar Lawn because the people Cindy
brought back to "life" are buried here, some of whom made it possible for Cindy to come
into our lives. Some others here at Cedar Lawn are our great-grandmother Maggie
Deuel. Our grandfather's sister Annie Deuel, someone who my father and his siblings
didn't even know about until I discovered her two months ago. She named one of her
sons of course, Henry John. Also there is our great-great uncle Arthur Costantini, who
came over from Italy. Also next door at Cavalry Cemetery is, yes I will say it, grandpa's
first wife Anna Earle and his first son John. As we stand here above the Deuel plot, I
think of grandpa's three siblings who are buried here. What if grandpa was the one who
died as an infant instead of these brothers, then most of us would evaporate from this
scene. I think of our g-grandmother Maggie, who both her and her mom had 15
children, and then as an old woman and in some sick cosmic joke, Maggie dies a
horrible death in a kitchen fire. Or grandpa's first son John, who died at 22, as he fell
out a window. Cindy understood this rhythm of life, the uncertainty that goes along with
it, and was not scared of anything. I admired that quality about her more than any other.
Cindy's favorite movie was Contact with Jodie Foster. In it Jodie Foster loses her father
as a young girl. She then spends her life searching boundless space for any sounds of
life. When she does make contact and travels to the source, it is in the form of her
father, telling her that we all must take baby steps towards understanding, and that one
day it will all make sense. Her father always assured her there was more life out there,
because if there wasn't, it would be a great waste of space. One of the last things Cindy
asked was if we thought she would ever get to travel in space. I believe that is where
she is now, soaring on the wings of comets, exploring strange new worlds and new life
forms and truly going where no woman has ever gone before."