Every year around this time I head to my homeland – New Jersey – to visit family for New Years Eve. While here I usually take one or more side trips with my kids, usually into the City (NYC).
This morning as part of my Christmas present from my son, he and I ventured into Queens, Flusing specifically, to take a tour of CitiField, home field of our beloved New York Mets. It was a great morning. The tour guide was on point even if the weather was sub-freezing when we got to step onto the field. By the way, we got to step onto the field!
After our tour, owing to the proximity, I decided to visit Calvary Cemetery. Calvary is one of the largest cities of the dead in the country. It is divided into four sections as it sits at the intersection of the Long Island Expressway and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. And it is the resting place of my mother’s parents. So of course we visited to offer our prayers for my grandparents and my son’s great-grandparents.
But you know I couldn’t leave it at that. You see, I am also known for my affinity for celebrity grave stalking. I’ve seen many of the best – Donna Summer, Jon-Benet Ramsay, Patsy Cline… From presidents to singers to famous murder victims, I figure I get to stand closer to them in death than I ever could have in life AND I always say prayers for their souls.
So imagine my surprise when I discovered that, reposing beneath the sod in the very next block from my grandparents is one of Mom’s favorite singers.
In case you’re wondering, you’d probably know him better by his stage name. Anthony Benedetto was Tony Bennet.
But it didn’t end there. A few blocks away was Mr. Dom Deluise!
Beautiful monument with the Sacred Heart! And with the BQE overhead, he’ll need it in order to get that eternal rest.
But I also came across this:
Look at the bottom of the stone.
“One Hail Mary”
You heard the stone etcher.
“Ave Maria, gratia plena…”
May all those who die in the Lord, rest in peace.
Harvey Millican's Blog: Musings of a Trad Dad 