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Ancestry Daily News
9/11/2002 - Archive
9-11: Roots and Wings
The following eulogy was given by Richard Deuel on 12 January 2002 for his twenty-eight-year-old
sister, Cindy Deuel, who was killed in the World Trade Center on 11 September
2001. Cindy was an avid genealogist who was passionately seeking her roots up
to the day of the disaster, and Richard was her family history partner. She
had even dreamed of starting a genealogy business to help people with their
own family research. Here are Richard's words:
"I'd like to share with everyone why we chose Cedar Lawn Cemetery for Cindy.
It wasn't long ago that Cindy and I stood over this very spot, as we posed for
a picture to document the final resting place of our great-great-grandfather,
Henry Deuel. Cindy found this spot even though there is no headstone to mark
his grave. Many have asked how she was able to find Henry, who was interred
here in 1874.
"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, women, and children
who paved the path for us. Every time Cindy and I scanned a pre-1900 census
record, we knew 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 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 Avenue in Passaic, New Jersey in the early 1880s. Cindy was scanning
the Passaic newspaper for advertisements he had placed. That was when she found
an obituary 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 the same plot. She had found our great-great-grandfather,
Henry.
"How Cindy loved Henry! We could talk about him for hours on end. Where
was Henry from? Who was Henry's father? We would spend hours at the library,
looking for him in census records. I used to buy O'Henry candy bars in the hope
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 - like Cindy, long before their time. Cindy is now
their guardian angel.
"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, and
our grandfather's sister, Annie Deuel, someone 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 had died as an infant instead
of these brothers? Then most of us would evaporate from this scene. I think
of our great-grandmother, Maggie. Both she and her mother had fifteen children.
As an old woman, in some twisted cosmic joke, Maggie died a horrible death in
a kitchen fire. And then there's Grandpa's first son, John, who died at twenty-two
when he fell out a window.
"Cindy understood this rhythm of life, the uncertainty that goes along
with it, and was not afraid 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 toward understanding, and that one day it will all make sense.
Her father always assured her there was more life out there, because if there
weren'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 life forms, and truly going where
no woman has ever gone before."
Richard commissioned a specially crafted headstone with Cindy's family tree
on one side (much of it information she learned through her own efforts) and
the Twin Towers on the other. Also included are the names of the ancestors Cindy
had discovered were buried in this location. To view images of this beautiful
headstone and read more about Cindy and Richard's family history and love of
genealogy, please visit the site Richard has dedicated to his sister at http://cindydeuel.com/.
Megan Smolenyak thanks Richard Deuel for allowing her to share Cindy's story
with fellow genealogists.
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