Allan M Heller gives upbeat talk about the dearly departed in his cemetery books

Allan M Heller has always found cemeteries places of relaxation and serenity.

With a slide show at the Hatboro Union Library, he told fascinating stories about cemeteries he has known, documented in his four books, including the one below.


People poured into the library to hear him speak. Many lined up at the end to buy his books. Said Allan, "I want to come into the library with a big stack of books and leave with very few left."

 View from the rostrum.

Many people, including Martha Hunter, shown with husband Dave, came from our Saturday writers' group.

Allan also attends a group at the Union Library and those people came as well. So did the Mayor of Hatboro, Norman Hawkes, and his wife Dorrie.

Finally got to meet Allan's bro, Lawrence and his wife, who hail from Doylestown.

Allan put up a sign at Moreland Towers, in Hatboro, and many people arrived from there.

One woman Regina arrived in a wheelchair with bright white socks on. On my way home, I saw Regina rolling down the sidewalks of Hatboro. What courage!

Allan's mother, Cynthia Jones, bears a resemblance to her son. She and her husband live at Ann's Choice.

Cynthia's husband David Jones is a writer. He just published a guest column in the Courier Times. Love Letter to Megacorp from an Ardent Admirer.

Beatriz and Linda were there from our Saturday group. B came with friend Fran in the background. Nancy rolled the slides.

Since I didn't get a photo of the slides, lemme show a few of my own. Allan remarked there are two cemeteries in the little town of Hatboro - one is The Hatboro Cemetery, next to Stutz Candies - the other at the Hatboro Baptist Church. I'm quite familiar with them both.


I had mentioned there are quite a few gravestones of Muslims.

Allan mentioned the first black slave killed in the Civil War is buried in The Baptist Cemetery.

Famous architect Louis I Kahn was buried with wife Esther in a Jewish cemetery in the area. Here's his famous Norman Fisher House in Hatboro, PA.

The Union Library honors its centuries' old furniture.

Stepping into the room where Allan gave his talk is like entering the 18th century. 



Note the tall ceilings.



Allan mentioned that many of the grave stones were made by the Kotecki Family in Cleveland, Ohio. 

The family business goes back to 1896.

"But Daddy I don't wanna go into the family business."

"We'll talk about that later, son."

They made a huge cross high atop a hill that can be seen for miles.

   "Son, are you sure you don't wanna help your daddy build something like this?"

"Okay! It's better than Legos!"

Allan's mom, Cynthia, and I chatted a few moments after the talk. She and Dave live at Ann's Choice. She's on the Board of Directors at the Warminster Library.

I told her about the wonderful Poetry Program I attended there. They have a new librarian, she said, who schedules all these wonderful programs, esp. children's programs.

Surely they can't be better than Mr Jim at the Upper Moreland Library. They won an award last year.

  Allan Heller gets my award for a fun and entertaining talk.