Gravely Speaking

Harry B. Helmsley March 4, 1909 – January 4, 1997

Leona Mindy Roberts Helmsley July 4, 1920 – August 20, 2007

Harry and Leona Helmsley were a New York power couple who owned real estate and hotels throughout the city.  They made a multi-billion dollar fortune in real estate properties including the Empire State Building, the crown jewel of Manhattan.  By 1989, Leona managed 23 of the Helmsley hotels and was featured in the advertising campaign that helped make her a household name.

She was dubbed the “Queen of Mean” because of the way she treated her employees.  In a famous tax evasion trial, one of Leona’s employees testified that Leona said, “Only the little people pay taxes.”  She was convicted and sentenced to prison.  She served 18 months in a federal prison.

The Helmsley’s are buried in a neo-classical Doric-style mausoleum in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York.  In a nod to their success in the real estate market in New York, the mausoleum features three stained-glass windows that depict the city skyline.

Edward Fay Claypool Mausoleum, Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana

Many mausoleums are embellished with ornate stained-glass windows.   The angel featured in this window is carrying a horn with one hand and pointing upward with the other.  The angel uses the horn to announce the coming resurrection.  The other hand is pointing the way!

Somerset Cemetery, Somerset, Ohio

One of my favorite graveyard symbols is the willow.  The Somerset Cemetery at Somerset, Ohio, has many intricately carved examples of gravestones with the willow motif.

The willow as a symbol is sentimental and hints at the human emotions felt during grief.  The willow motif represents what one might expect; sorrow and grief, it is after all a “weeping” willow.

Somerset Cemetery, Somerset, Ohio

Another example:

Woodland Cemetery, Des Moines, Iowa

Wm. S. CLARK

MAY 24, 1854

Feb. 7, 1904

The zinc marker above marks the grave of a William Clark.  His marker is the tale of two birds.  On one side is bolted the eagle and the other a dove.

Clark was a member of the Improved Order of Redmen, which claims its beginnings with the patriots who were in the Sons of Liberty during the American Revolution.  The society models itself after the Iroquois Confederacy councils.  The society based their organization on the rites and rituals of the Native Americans.  Written on the shield on the chest of the eagle are the initials T.O.T.E which stands for Totem of Eagles.  According to their Website, the IORM “promotes patriotism and the American Way of Life, provides social activities for the members, and supports various charitable programs.”  The different clubs or chapters are divided into “tribes”.

The other side of the zinc marker has bolted on it, the dove.  Several references in the Bible refer to the dove as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:16 reads, “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him.” In Mark 1:10 the Bible says, “And Straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him.” Again in John 1:32, the Bible reads, “And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.”

Along with the dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit, the dove is also closely associated with peace, often depicted with a sprig of an olive in its beak. This, too, originated in the Bible. After the waters receded in the story of Noah, the dove appears. Genesis 8:11, “And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off; so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.”   It was a sign of God’s forgiveness.

The dove, with its white color, is also a symbol of purity and innocence and for that reason is often found the tombstones of children.

Thus the dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit, peace, and purity.