Notable Graves
Arthur Ryerson
One of the most unusual grave stories of Lakewood Cemetery isn't a grave at all.
In 1889 Arthur Ryerson married Emily Borie and the couple raised their children in Haverford, Pennsylvania. He became a partner in a Chicago-based law firm and was the CEO of the Ryerson Steel Company. The family spent their summers at their elegant summer house “Ringwood” at the north end of Otsego Lake near Cooperstown.
In 1912, Arthur and Emily were dealt the hardest blow a parent can face—the death of their son Arthur, Jr., in a fatal car crash.
Rushing home for his funeral, the Ryerson family—Arthur, Emily, and three of their children—booked the first transatlantic passage they could. The first ship leaving was the R.M.S. Titanic. They embarked with heavy hearts for America.
The Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the early morning hours of April 15,1912.
Arthur Ryerson was among the many men who refused to take a seat on a lifeboat until all the women and children were first rescued. As a result, he lost his life in the icy waters of the Atlantic, courageously throwing kisses to his family as the ship and he went down.
His body was never recovered. His family has maintained this grave site and marker to this day.
