Mark Goodwin - Deceased 1950 - 2016
November 29, 1950 - January 16, 2016
Last Friday, October 2, my brother, Tom, used my 1988 white Lincoln hearse for the retirement of our Sexton Of the City's Cemeteries. The moment was captured by our local newspaper and ended up being a front-page story. The text of the story is found below. There was a picture of my hearse along with the story, however, it is too large to post here.
Retiring cemetery sexton gets an appropriate sendoff
Kewanee, Ill. -
Jerry Van De Velde retired Monday as Kewanee cemetery sexton, after nearly 31 years of service to the city of Kewanee.
It is not unusual when a person retires for his friends, family, and coworkers to send him off in a chauffeured limousine on his final day.
However, since he is sexton, a group of his friends and coworkers greeted him at his morning break time Friday with a chauffeured hearse.
The well-wishers also had a pine box with a tombstone note attached: Jerry Van De Velde, September 18, 1979 -October 6, 2009, RIP ... Retire in Peace
“As sexton, he has seen thousands of funerals come through the cemetery gates, each usually with a hearse,” said Tom Goodwin, who provided the hearse and served as chauffeur.
“However, as one bystander observed, Jerry was a little taken back when the hearse was for him and after the back door was open and the pine box inside had his name on it.”
After the break was over, Van De Velde was happy to see the hearse leave without him.
Then he led his cemetery crew back to work for two more days
Retiring cemetery sexton gets an appropriate sendoff
Kewanee, Ill. -
Jerry Van De Velde retired Monday as Kewanee cemetery sexton, after nearly 31 years of service to the city of Kewanee.
It is not unusual when a person retires for his friends, family, and coworkers to send him off in a chauffeured limousine on his final day.
However, since he is sexton, a group of his friends and coworkers greeted him at his morning break time Friday with a chauffeured hearse.
The well-wishers also had a pine box with a tombstone note attached: Jerry Van De Velde, September 18, 1979 -October 6, 2009, RIP ... Retire in Peace
“As sexton, he has seen thousands of funerals come through the cemetery gates, each usually with a hearse,” said Tom Goodwin, who provided the hearse and served as chauffeur.
“However, as one bystander observed, Jerry was a little taken back when the hearse was for him and after the back door was open and the pine box inside had his name on it.”
After the break was over, Van De Velde was happy to see the hearse leave without him.
Then he led his cemetery crew back to work for two more days
