This grave looked lonely, sitting off by itself. It is one of the newer ones. Oceans Unlimited is a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation. Ernest Victor Schaerer was the administrator of this cemetery for many years.
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E. Victor Schaerer was my Father. He and my Stepmother, Jean Schaerer, made a retirement project of helping restore the Merchant Marine Cemetary at Ft. Stanton.He loved the place he chose for his grave stone, located in the cemetary with view of the mountains in the distance. He and my stepmother enjoyed spending time working on identifying graves and placing flags, while their dogs cavorted around the perimiter of the cemetary.
ReplyDeleteOceans Unlimited actually refers to the qualification he received following graduation from New York Maritime Academy, allowing him to captain merchant marine vessels all over the world. He was an oil tanker captain during WWII, seeing action in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific.
Wendy Schaerer, Ithaca, N.Y.
Victor Schaerer's Wife, my Stepmother, Jean Margaret Schaerer died April 23, 2013 in Alto, New Mexico. A graveside service was held for her at the Merchant Marine Cemetary at Ft. Stanton on June 15, 2013 and her grave is now located next to my Fathers in the cemetary. Wendy Schaerer, Ithaca, N.Y. Dec. 23, 2013
ReplyDeleteI am E. Victor Schaerer’s granddaughter and was doing geneology research when I came across this post. I can’t post pictures but someone else has posted pictures of Jean and my Grandpa’s graves side-by-side. So if you search for his name you can see pictures of what it looks like now. But there is so much more to his life that can’t be summed up in a paragraph.
ReplyDeleteHis accomplishments in WWII deserve to be in a book. Even how he accidentally stumbled across an overgrown and forgotten merchant marine cemetery and worked hard to identify those buried, notify their families, and work hard to maintain the cemetery until he died.
But I do find it interesting that the picture you chose to take ignores the giant statue and flag less than 10 feet from the foot of his grave along with the hundreds of white crosses on the other side lol
The idea was that he wanted to watch over the cemetery in death like he did in life. His wife, Jean, took care of the cemetery after he passed away and now she is buried next to him and also watches over the cemetery as, to my understanding, no one can be buried there anymore.
Hi, Aunt Wendy!!
Elizabeth Schaerer
Omprajna@gmail.com