It took me ten years to write this bio, so I hope it was worth the wait.

I spent most my youth in a small town south of Buffalo, NY. After college, I lived in PA for two years, followed by a stop back in WNY before embarking on a 20-year stint in Boston, MA. I returned to my hometown in 2003 at the age of 47.

I had little interest in genealogy until I was in my 50s, but once I started researching my family tree, I was hooked. My enthusiasm expanded beyond the family tree, as I absorbed myself in documenting (on Find-A-Grave) the lives, deaths, and final resting places of individuals who once lived in Southern Erie County, NY.

For several years, I spent a great deal of time in cemeteries located in the towns of Boston (NY), Brant, Collins, Eden, Gowanda, Hamburg, Langford, New Oregon, North Collins, Orchard Park, Springville, and West Valley.

In recent years I have had mobility issues that prevent me from walking through cemeteries. It has been disappointing that I can no longer pursue my passion for photographing grave stones.

Of special note is my interest in the obsolete Quaker Cemetery in North Collins. There was a time when I spent numerous hours in that cemetery (est. 1813) studying the stones therein. I've also done hundreds of hours researching the lives of Quakers who are buried there. Starting in 1810 they migrated primarily from the New England states to the unsettled region along Lake Erie. The Quakers were the first residents of the Town of North Collins.

Scouring the cemeteries over the years has prompted me to do some study of local history. To me, the cemeteries and local history run hand-in-hand. I've learned so much, and the quest continues.

Once a grave stone fades, becomes illegible, or breaks, it will be lost in the passage of time. Through digital photography, a stone lasts forever! It has therefore been my aim to make a photographic record of as many grave stones as possible and then upload those photos to Find-A-Grave for permanent display.

Regarding the memorials and photos I contribute on Find-A-Grave, someone once told me, "You're doing a great service to society." That accolade became a motivation for me to do what I do as a contributor to Find-A-Grave.