A family of interesting grave markers - Keene, NH

It all started with me coming across an article about an interesting grave marker that was made to look like a teachers desk. Of course being me I thought "I need to find this" so I did a little digging and found out it was actually here in town and a reader had commented which cemetery in Keene and also stated that that persons son is buried near by with a baseball shaped tombstone. Naturally I even more interested in finding it. Once I found it I also noted that her husband had a unique gravestone as well, his is a large rock with a plaque. After visiting and taking pictures I headed home to do a little more digging because the stones are so unique I wanted to know more about the people buried in those plots. I did unearth that her son is indeed buried in the same cemetery but the baseball does not belong to him his is actually a bench. The baseball however is related, it belongs to her son-in-law's father. More about all that later though.

The teachers desk gravestone belongs a longtime teacher in Keene NH named Charlotte Van Vleck Gemmell.

Charlotte was born in Clearwater Nebraska on September 22,1920. She graduated from Neligh High School in Nebraska in 1939, attended the University of Nebraska School of Social Work, and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1943 from Nebraska Wesleyan University. Later, she earned an master's degree at Keene State College.

Charlotte married her husband Reverend Fay Lincoln Gemmell (more about him soon) in 1943. Together they had 5 children Jon (the son that passed), Joel, Krista, Heather (husbands dad has baseball stone) and Mark.

Charlotte was very involved in the area. She was an elementary school teacher for 28 years, a women's advocate, active member of Grace United Methodist Church, part of the Cheshire County Retired Teachers Association, a member of the Alpha Chapter for the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, as well as, part of the Keene Business and Professional Women's Club. She even has a biography published by the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church. Sadly, after a period of declining health she passed away at the age of 82 on March 1, 2003. She is still remembered today as a favorite teacher by many. I wish I could have found out more about her but sadly this was all that I could find.

Charlotte and her husband Fay have stones connecting by a large granite slab with a flower box attached.

The large rock on the right belongs to Reverend Fay Lincoln Gemmell.

Fay Lincoln Gemmell was born in Milford Nebraska on January 14, 1921. He worked his way through college, graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln. He received his master of divinity degree from Boston University School of Theology, and, in midlife, he earned his doctor of ministry degree from Andover Newton Theological School in Newton, Mass.

Fay was also very involved in the community. As an ordained United Methodist minister, he served churches in Nebraska, Massachusetts and New Hampshire for 21 years, the last six being in Keene, at Grace United Methodist Church. He was the first ecumenical campus minister at Keene State College and worked there from 1963 to 1986. After retiring from the campus ministry that he loved so much, he served as a chaplain for Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene and for southwestern New Hampshire Hospice. In addition, he was a pastoral counselor for 25 years with MAPS Counseling Services.

He was described as a person who was all-inclusive, welcoming people of all religious persuasions, people with various social values, the rich and the poor, the young and the old. He was the minister to everyone. Reverend Fay lived a long life to the age of 92, passing away surrounded by family on March 22, 2013.

Next we have a bench gravestone...

Charlotte and Fay's son Jon Gemmell was born on August 31, 1946 in Boston Massachusetts. He moved to Keene NH in 1957 where he attended Keene schools, and graduated from Keene High School in 1965. He received his bachelor of education degree from Keene State College in 1972.

He was a teacher at Sullivan Elementary School then became a teacher at Fuller Elementary School for 25 years before retiring. Jon was actively involved in the Babe Ruth Youth Baseball program in Keene, serving as a coach, board member and president of the board. He was the operations manager for the Keene Swamp Bats for the last five years of his life. Just like his parents he was very active in the community and loved his job teaching and the many children he taught. He was always an advocate of family and children. He also enjoyed traveling and photography.

He passed away at the age of 61 on September 1, 2007.

Lastly we have the baseball shaped stone...

This grave marker belongs to John J. Watterson.

John Watterson is the father of Charlotte and Fay Gemmell's son-in-law Keven Watterson married to their daughter Heather.

John Watterson was born on August 8, 1924 in Boston Massachusetts. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served during World War II and the Korean Conflict. He held the rank of a technician fifth grade with Headquarters Battery 136th Unit Aircraft Artillery Group and had been an athletic instructor during his tour of duty.

John was also well known and active in the area. He was a member of the Federation Church of Marlborough, the Gordon Bissell Post 4 American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 799 both in Keene; the Loyal Order of Moose in Keene; and had served the city of Keene as a city councilor for eight years.

The baseball stone definitely describes this man! As I was reading about him I just kept saying "Oh My God, Wow" and even had to read it to my husband. So here goes....

He had a lifelong passion for baseball. Over a 60-year period, he was an outstanding player, an exceptional teacher and a highly successful coach of the game. At the age of 17, he began his coaching career as the player-manager for one of the great town teams of the early 1940s, the Marlborough Giants. He later played shortstop for Keene in the Northern League, forerunner to what many compare to the current Keene Swamp Bats of the NECBL. He starred in Europe during his military years, playing with many baseball greats, including Yogi Berra and Bob Feller. He captained the 1950 UNH baseball team. He was a player-manager on several minor league teams in Nova Scotia following his graduation from UNH.

Beginning in 1960, Mr. Watterson coached at almost every level of baseball in the Monadnock Region, including Little League, Babe Ruth, American Legion, college baseball and summer college baseball.

The common thread throughout, was winning championships and sending young men on to play at the professional and collegiate levels. Mr. Watterson then became a founder and general manager of two of the summer collegiate wooden bat league franchises in the United States, the Keene Swamp Bats and the North Adams SteepleCats, winning more titles along the way.

His legacy, for the many former players who have gone on to the coaching ranks, is a commitment to the basics and fundamentals of what he considered the greatest game on earth.

Fascinating right!?! I still am just blown away by how much his stone says without actually saying anything. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed learning about the lives these stones stand for like I did.

Fun Fact: this family is actually buried in the same cemetery as the famous Jonathan Daniels Keene. I'll be writing about him in the near future.