The event was part of the St. John the Baptist Parish’s 150th anniversary celebration
By Jeff Kurowski | On Mission
SEYMOUR — Stories of a German immigrant who became one of the area’s most substantial farmers, a Vietnam War helicopter pilot and a mother who tragically lost two of her children to scarlet fever in 1926 were part of “Tales from the Passed Cemetery Walk” on Saturday, Sept. 28, which continued the 150th celebration of St. John the Baptist Parish.
The event featured two rounds of guided tours of St. John’s Cemetery and a luncheon in the school building gymnasium.
An anniversary Mass and dinner celebrating the 150th anniversary was held on Sept. 8.
The first St. John the Baptist Church was built in 1874, with Fr. Roman Scholter becoming the first pastor in 1875. One year later, a school was built with the Ursuline Sisters serving as the first teachers. The School Sisters of Notre Dame took over as educators in 1877.
A new St. John the Baptist Church was built in 1900, followed by a rectory in 1910.
Msgr. Jim Dillenberg, who served as pastor in Seymour from 1972 to 1980, led the building of the current church in 1974, which was the faith community’s centennial year. Bishop Aloysius Wycislo dedicated the new church in 1975.
St. John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery (located at 1166 Iovery St., Seymour) dates back to 1876. The first two burials were in 1877. The cemetery walk recognized pioneers of the community, with actors portraying people from the past at six stops on the tour.
“We tried to get a good selection of time periods and of professions,” said Amy Linsmeyer, who chaired the cemetery walk committee. “Everybody knows who Lee Remmel is. We really wanted to highlight somebody from the military. Other cemetery walks we’ve been to, it’s usually someone from World War II. We wanted to talk about somebody from Vietnam, so we were fortunate to be able to tell his story.”
Erik Raither portrayed Thomas H. Foley (1951-1971), who was killed in a non-hostile helicopter crash in Vietnam at age 20. The cemetery is the resting place for more than 100 military veterans, including soldiers from the Civil War.
Lee Remmel (1924-2015) — known for his work as a sportswriter for the Green Bay Press Gazette and public relations director for the Green Bay Packers — and his wife, Noreen, are buried in St. John’s Catholic Cemetery. Doug Hahn portrayed Remmel for the cemetery walk.
Other portrayals were Chris Linsmeyer as Sebastian Sigl, a farmer (1832-1893), Kathy Mueller as Anna Gomm Letter, a mother who lost two children in a three-month period to scarlet fever (1873-1966), and Scott Pautz as “Harness Man” Nick Kitzinger (1867-1945).
Andy Patz told the story of Anton Lotter (1871-1923) and Joele Jefferson and Julie Skinkis combined to portray Anton’s wife, Anna Lotter (1873-1964). The Lotter family started a manufacturing company on Wisconsin Street in Seymour.
Russ Hanseter, sexton from 1996 to 2018, created display boards for the luncheon, chronicling the history of the cemetery. A cemetery sexton is the person responsible for the care and maintenance of a cemetery.
“Tom Landwehr had (the sexton position) before me,” said Hanseter. “He said, ‘Can you help me a little bit for a year?’ It turned out to be 25 years.”
Alex Niespodzany, who died in 2014, was the sexton at the cemetery for 38 years.
“He dug all the graves by hand,” said Hanseter. “He didn’t have big equipment, so you could put the graves right next to each other. … He would be out there at night, at 3 a.m., down in a grave, with a lantern. When he was done, you couldn’t even tell there was a burial.”
Niespodzany, who lived next door to the cemetery, received some assistance from his children, said Hanseter.
“His kids would be out there with scissors cutting around the gravestones,” he said. “They took excellent care of the cemetery. We didn’t have any faucets. When it was really dry (Niespodzany) would get water from the pump and haul it in a little cart.”
Fr. Bob Kabat — who returned for the anniversary dinner on Sept. 8 and is now pastor at St. Matthew Parish in Allouez — was pastor at St. John the Baptist when the iron fence at the cemetery was refurbished. Parishioner Don Vanden Heuvel designed and built the steel “St. John’s Catholic Cemetery” sign as a donation. Vanden Heuvel often assisted Niespodzany, said Hanseter.
Photos showing tree damage from a 2011 storm were part of the display. Hanseter said more than 20 trees were taken down in the older part of the cemetery. A crane was used for tree removal.
Photos of every marker in St. John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery were shared with the Seymour Historical Society.
Hanseter added that the cemetery currently has about 250 plots available. Msgr. Dillenberg, the only former pastor currently to have a reserved plot in the “priest zone” of the cemetery, was a member of the first tour group for “Tales from the Passed.” He said that it was “well done.”
The tour groups were bused from the school building to the nearby cemetery. Linsmeyer said that she’s grateful for everyone who assisted with the event.
The cemetery walk committee met regularly for a year.
“I thought that (finding actors) would be easier,” she said with a laugh. “I asked for favors from family and friends. Seeing them out there, it’s pretty cool.”
