Veterans of Shady Lane: Stories from a South Abington Twp. cemetery
S. ABINGTON TWP. — Veterans Day is observed on Nov. 11 to honor and remember all veterans. It marks the anniversary of the end of World War I.
Shady Lane Cemetery was founded in 1922. It covers 23 acres and had several owners. It was abandoned. Louise McDonnell and Carol Wilkerson founded the Friends of Shady Lane Cemetery. They and volunteers have worked to bring dignity to those buried there. Those include hundreds of veterans buried in not only in the Soldier's Section but sections throughout the cemetery.
These are just some of the veterans' stories.
John "Simon" BrownIgnatz Brown were brothers. Simon served in the Pennsylvania 13th infantry and then entered regular Army service. Simon did not go overseas during World War I, but his brother Ignatz went to France.
They both came home to work at the family grocery store. The neighbors noticed the store was not open for a few days and called the police. When the police entered the apartment upstairs, they found the bodies of the Brown brothers and their mother.
The mother, Eva Gudishkis, had poisoned herself and her sons, and they all died. They were all buried at Shady Lane Cemetery. The brothers had military rites but never tombstones. The Department of Veteran Affairs donated a marker for each brother in 2024. Nick Elko and Ron Enslin Jr. from the Jennings Calvey Funeral Home installed the markers.
William "Bill" Lester III is a board member and volunteer of Friends of Shady Lane Cemetery. His great-grandparents, grandparents and father are all interred in the Upper Pine section of Shady Lane Cemetery.
His dad, William Lester Jr., was stationed with the Army in Germany during the Vietnam War. His grandfather, William Lester Sr., was in World War II as a Marine and rose to the rank of master sergeant. He fought at the Battle of Tarawa. He received a Purple Heart. He also was in the Korean War with the Army as a 1st sergeant with the 109th Infantry Army National Guard.
"I've been going to the cemetery my whole life. I've kept up on my family area and knew most didn't have people like me to do the same. I volunteer to make sure the families can feel better knowing their loved ones buried there are not forgotten and taken care of. I think how we restored and maintained the cemetery is amazing. The fact we are also improving it and making it even better is something those buried there and their families deserve. We are their voice," said Wiliam "Bill" Lester III.
PFC Emmett M. Every Jr. was just 31 when he was killed in action in France on Aug. 7, 1944. He was sent to France with the 109th Infantry in September 1943 during World War II.
His body was returned on the DL&W Railroad and arrived at the train station in Factoryville. He was a member of the Olin R. Wheelock Post American Legion of Factoryville. Members of that American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars escorted his body to Shady Lane Cemetery for service and interment.
Russell G. Baer was an Army veteran of the Vietnam War. He received two Purple Hearts. His obituary says he was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5209 North Scranton, Disabled American Veterans and the Tarus Club.
He was employed by the office of shipping and receiving at the STS. Co. in Clarks Summit.
Relman Morin of the Associated Press wrote an about Roland James titled "Stands in Unbroken Line of U.S. Patriots."
Roland James was on his high school baseball, track and swimming teams. He also sang in the Glee Club.
After high school, he'd attend the University of Idaho and studied forestry for two years. From there, he went to Alaska to work in a mine.
He enlisted in the Marines in 1942 and went to San Diego, California, for boot camp. His first assignment was in Bremerton, Washington, and then he was sent overseas. He was a member of Company B, First Battalion, Eighth Marines where he was promoted to corporal.
On June 5, 1944, he and the other Marines hit the beach of Saipan. At the age of 25, Roland James was killed in action on June 23, 1944, when his unit was fighting through a valley toward the Mountain Topochau in Japan. He was buried in Japan.
His parents, Edwin H. and Leona James, wanted his body returned to the United States. His body was returned by the US Army Transport Dalton Victory and buried in the Hemlock section of Shady Lane Cemetery.
"One of our goals as we maintain the cemetery is to make sure veterans graves are appropriately tended and honored," said Carol Wilkerson, president Friends of Shady Lane Cemetery. "They served us during their lifetimes, so we can respect them after their deaths."
