Bill Ellis | Letters to Ambrose Merton # 19, 1999

There have been some postings recently on the contemporary custom of commemorating those who had died in auto accidents with impromptu roadside shrines. This article appeared in the Hazleton Standard Speaker recently and documents some memorial practices that seem to be related to this complex. Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) is truly an interesting place for folk culture.

Vigil Honors Memory of Edward Speshock Jr.

[Hazleton Standard Speaker, 9 January 1998: 19, 28.]

After 10 years, the memory of Edward Speshock Jr. lives on in the hearts of his family and friends. A candlelight memorial service held Thursday in honor of the Hazleton man proved it.

Nearly 20 people gathered in the Transfiguration Cemetery in West Hazleton to remember Speshock, who was killed Jan. 8, 1988 in an automobile accident. Thursday marked the 10?year anniversary of his death.

The evening service, which lasted about 20 minutes, was conducted by the candlelight each participant held. Several songs, including Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild,” were performed with the help of an acoustic guitar.

Several friends and relatives shared personal stories about “Eddie” and told what they remember most about him. A prayer was also recited.

A number of those gathered ritualistically drank half of the alcohol from a shot glass, and poured the rest on the grave.

But most notably, Evelyn, Speshock’s mother, knelt down and kissed the headstone of her son.

People of all ages attended the service. One young girl at the ceremony was merely a toddler at the time of Speshock’s death, but her age did not stop her from honoring a loved one.

At the end of the service, the friends and family of Edward Speshock Jr. left the cemetery the same way they had arrived: together.