Dozens of people flocked to Riverside Cemetery in Montgomery Wednesday evening to get a history lesson about the people who lived in the area before them.
For the 13th year, the Montgomery Historic Preservation Commission put together the Cemetery Walk, where participants learned a bit of local history by walking through the cemetery and listening to people portraying some of those buried at Riverside.
Debbie Buchanan has been integral to the event since its inception and said each year it gets more interesting.
Doug Mareck, a Montgomery trustee, said he enjoys the Cemetery Walk.
“You learn about history and those who were in Montgomery before us,” he said.
He said learning about history is fun and commented that one day, “very far away, they will come and visit my grave.”
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One of the graves visited was that of Charles Flynn, born in 1914, who was portrayed by Gray Arendt during the event.
“I was just a boy when my 35-year-old mother fell in love with a neighbor boy who was half her age, 17,” Arendt said as he portrayed Flynn. “She ran away with him and took all four children with her.”
When America entered World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Flynn was quick to join the Armed Forces. He did well until he was captured and became a prisoner of war. He survived and came back to the area, dying in 1981.
The next stop on the tour was visiting with John Aman who portrayed Herb Tschannen, who was part of a family that emigrated from Switzerland to Montgomery in the early part of the 20th century.
Tschannen attended high school for two years and was working at Lyon Metal when World War II broke out. Tschannen served in the war and was wounded, being sent to various hospitals in Europe before returning home, Aman said.
The next stop on the tour was a visit to the resting place of Mary Livsey. Marion Bond portrayed the woman who worked as a schoolteacher. She met John Livsey, and they married in 1902.
Early married life began with John Livsey working at Lyon Metal. He eventually served as the mayor in Montgomery for 20 years.
As a final stop, visitors were led to the resting place of William VonHoff, a Burlington Railroad worker. Will Hatfield portrayed the man at the event.
Judy Pochel is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.