Honoring the Departed Since 1841

AN ACTIVE BURIAL PLACE RICH IN HISTORY

The American-British author Henry James once said, "Summer afternoon; summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." If you are a cemetery proprietor, a daily walker, a lover of trees and birds or just someone who loves Lowell Cemetery, you understand.

Whatever your connection to the cemetery, you may have seen the results of a lot of activity in the last couple of months. If not, this edition of “The Epitaph” will provide you with the latest news on not only the dedication of the new West Meadow area and the cemetery’s first work of public art, but also the addition of digital signage on a select number of graves, allowing visitors to explore the story of those buried there on their phones. You’ll also meet Katie Burrage, a pioneering woman who was the first and only female graduate of the Lowell Textile School in 1899. And, you’ll read an interview with Trustee Richard Howe, Jr., about his latest book that focuses on the fate of 441 service men and women from Lowell who lost their lives in WWII, five of whom are buried in Lowell Cemetery.

But you, the reader, also have a role to play in this issue. The Trustees are starting work on a strategic plan to guide the Cemetery in its development over the next ten years. To be successful, we need input from a variety of sources. Your voice is an important part of this effort and we invite you to tell us what you think by taking a ten-minute online survey.

So, as summer kicks in, come visit. Whether you are paying respects to family, strolling the paths, or enjoying the gardens, you are always welcome here. And, with all due respect to Henry James, mornings and early evenings are beautiful, too!

Happy summer,

Lew Karabatsos

President, Board of Trustees



The Lowell Cemetery Trustees and Staff extend our congratulations to Lowell Cemetery Trustee Susu Wong, who received the Commonwealth Pride Award on June 18, 2026.

State Senator Vanna Howard celebrated with Susu, founder and CEO of the Lowell-based digital marketing agency Tomo360. The newly founded annual event celebrates the rich accomplishments and talents of Massachusetts’ LGBTQ+ community.

LOWELL CEMETERY LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

Lowell Cemetery is a cherished community asset, valued not only as an active cemetery but also for its rich history, beautiful landscape, and enduring place in our city's life. For more than 185 years, the Cemetery and its Trustees have evolved to meet the changing needs of the families and community we serve. The current Board of Trustees remains committed to that tradition as we take important steps to prepare for the Cemetery’s future.

Today, we are pleased to publicly launch a strategic planning process to guide Lowell Cemetery over the next decade. Developing a thoughtful plan will provide us with direction, help us set priorities, and prepare us to meet both new opportunities and future challenges while staying true to our mission.

For this process to be meaningful and successful, however, it cannot be developed in isolation. It must include the insight, support, and participation of a broad range of constituents—including leadership, staff, proprietors, volunteers, community members, and other stakeholders. Each brings a unique perspective and valuable experience that will help shape a thoughtful, informed, and inclusive vision for our future.

As someone with an interest in Lowell Cemetery, your voice is an important part of this process. We invite and encourage you to share your thoughts and perspectives by completing our questionnaire via the QR code provided or through our website no later than September 4, 2026. The Trustees will use this feedback to draft a blueprint this fall, with a final plan to be adopted in early 2027.

Through our collective efforts, Lowell Cemetery can continue to grow and serve the needs of its families and the greater Lowell community with purpose, relevance, and dignity for generations to come.

Thank you for your consideration and participation.



Lew Karabatsos

President, Board of Trustees

Questions or thoughts you'd rather share directly? Contact the cemetery office at 978-454-5191 or seth@lowellcemetery.com.

LOWELL CEMETERY DEDICATES WEST MEADOW PROJECT &

ITS FIRST COMMISSIONED PUBLIC ART 

On Saturday, May 2, 2026, more than 70 people braved the threat of rain to attend Lowell Cemetery’s dedication ceremony celebrating the completion of the West Meadow Project and the unveiling of the first of two new sculptures. Among those in attendance were Lowell Mayor Eric Geitshier and several members of the City Council.

The opening of the one-acre West Meadow area marks the culmination of four years of planning, design, excavation, and landscaping. The completed project adds nearly 1,000 new graves to the cemetery, now available for public sale.

“The project was multifaceted and, at times, complex,” said Cemetery Superintendent Seth Durno. “I deeply appreciated the support of the Trustees and the dedication of our incredible staff, whose hard work and commitment were instrumental in bringing this project to completion.”

In addition to the new cemetery lots, the project features a sculpture titled Eternal Flame. For nearly two centuries, the sculptures and monuments throughout the cemetery’s beautifully landscaped grounds have served as personal memorials, commissioned by families to honor loved ones laid to rest there. The West Meadow Project marks a significant departure from that tradition. For the first time in the cemetery’s history, the Board of Trustees commissioned an artist — sculptor Jay Hungate — to create two works of public art intended not as memorials to individuals, but as enduring gifts to the community and future generations.

“This is a defining moment for Lowell Cemetery,” said Lew Karabatsos, President of the Board of Trustees. “For 185 years, the remarkable monuments and sculptures throughout our grounds have reflected the stories of the families who helped shape Lowell’s history. With the West Meadow Project, we are beginning a new chapter — one that belongs to the entire community. These sculptures are a gift to Lowell and to all who will walk these grounds in the years ahead.”

The second sculpture, Remembrance, is expected to be completed in the coming months.

The next time you visit Lowell Cemetery, take a moment to stop by West Meadow and sit beside Eternal Flame. Pause to appreciate the beauty of the landscape, reflect quietly, or simply enjoy the peace and solitude of the space. It was created for everyone.

Brynn and Lowell Cemetery Superintendent Seth Durno at the West Meadow dedication. Photo: Kevin Harkins

State Representative for the First Middlesex District Margaret Scarsdale and Pepperell Town Administrator Andrew MacLean congratulate Brynn.

Congratulations again on this significant achievement, Brynn!

Monument QR Code Pilot Project

“Regret To Inform You: The Human Cost of WWII in Lowell, Mass.”

Lowell Cemetery Trustee Richard Howe Jr. responded to the following questions I posed about his new publication, an account of the 441 WWII service men and women from Lowell who were killed in action or died in accidents, of disease, or of other non-combat causes. Five of them are buried in the Lowell Cemetery

-Rosemary Noon, Vice President, Lowell Cemetery Trustees

Capt. George Thomas Walters Jr., USA (1917-1944), Coburn Ave.

RN: Recording wartime trauma requires a great deal of sensitivity. How did you balance your own feelings with the vivid detail of this loss to our city?

RH: I tried to let the facts speak for themselves. The youthfulness of so many who died was a powerful reminder of the tremendous loss of potential from all these deaths. So was the realization that many of their parents were only in their 40s, which ensured decades of painful memories. I felt that most who read this would have the same visceral response that I did.

RN: Almost all of the names included in this account resonate with me as “Lowell names,”

2nd Lieut. Winfield Albert Hird, AAF (1916-1943) Smith Ave.

Over time, as those who knew the decedents pass away, they take those memories with them. By capturing their stories for the historical record, this book helps make their sacrifice more meaningful to future generations who lack personal connection to those who died in the war. 

RN: While each biography is staggering, a few stand out even among this group: 

*Most of those who are recorded here died in their early 20s, but Bruce Alberghene, Paul Farmer, Eugene Johnson, Wilfred Ouellette, Frederick Peros and John Twohey were only 18 years old when they died;

*Edward H. Crockett the newspaper reporter at the Lowell Courier Citizen who became a war correspondent and the first Associated Press reporter to be killed in WWII; 

*Your description of the chaplains on the SS Dorchester who gave up their life preservers to save others; and

*John Targ, the Chief Water Tender on the battleship USS Arizona. 

Were there any surprises that you encountered in your research?

RH: I’m best known today for my work in Lowell history, but my first passion was military history, so the story of World War II was familiar to me, but this project deepened my understanding in many ways. Three stand out: 

First is the substantial number of Lowell people who were already in the military when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Many of them were stationed in the Philippines and became prisoners of the Japanese along with 12,000 other US servicemembers. Given the small size of the US armed forces at the start of the war, the scale of that surrender was immense.

Second, as the US Army fought its way across Europe in late 1944 and early 1945, the brutality of the combat increased as did American casualties. To make up the losses, the military draft expanded to include teenagers and older, married men who previously had been exempt. I was saddened by how many from Lowell in both of those categories lost their lives in the closing months of the war in Europe. 

Third, American popular culture highlighted dramatic stories like the chaplains on the Dorchester; the five Sullivan Brothers who were lost in the sinking of a single ship; and the tragedy of the USS Indianapolis which was vividly described by Quint in the movie Jaws. I found that men from Lowell died in each of those incidents and in many more like them. 

Private Edward T. Goward, USA (1911-1943), Wilberforce Ave.

That said, in our more recent conflicts, particularly the Vietnam War, we understand that most of the fighting and dying was borne by working-class Americans, while those with wealth and connections had the option of avoiding military service. Notwithstanding our embrace of the “Greatest Generation” framing, I suspect that World War II was not very different. Today, Lowell Cemetery is an egalitarian place open to all, but in earlier decades it served a much narrower demographic, one that may have avoided military service entirely or served in non-combat roles that carried less risk of injury or death.  

RN: Where and when did you and your wife Roxane serve in the military?

RH: Roxane, who was born and raised in Manchester, NH, and I both served in the U.S. Army in West Germany during the early 1980s. We met in November 1981 in a muddy forest outside Rothenberg during the massive Able Archer 81 military exercise. 

RN: You’ve been leading tours of the Lowell Cemetery since 2012, you started “Lowell Walks” in 2015, and you continue to guide thematic walks through downtown Lowell, how does this city affect your personal identity?

RH: My early interest in Lowell history was an accident of geography: This is where I lived, so I studied this place. Over time, the many fascinating stories I encountered transformed the way I look at the city. I now contend that you can take almost any event in modern world history and find some Lowell connection. That ability to connect the global to the local enriches the broad awareness of history that is essential to a functioning democracy. As may be evident, I am now

a Lowell history evangelist. 

And if you’d like to learn more or are interested in a copy of “Regret To Inform You,” please go to https://richardhowe.com/books/ to order a print copy or to download a free eBook (PDF format) of this and other books Richard Howe has written.  

Ensign Ralph Charles Runels, USN (1920-1944), Shedd Ave.