Helen Sclair's address during the last years of her life will remain
unchanged into eternity. A recognized authority on cemeteries and
burial practices, Mrs. Sclair lived in a house on the grounds of
Bohemian National Cemetery on Chicago's Northwest Side since about
2001. Her cremated remains will rest not far away under a granite stone
bearing the inscription, "The Cemetery Lady, An Advocate for the Dead."
Mrs. Sclair, 78, died of cardiac arrest on Wednesday, Dec. 16, in the
Harmony Healthcare and Rehab Center in Chicago, where she had been
recovering from surgery, said her daughter, Lu Helen Sclair.
Mrs. Sclair lectured around the country to groups like the Association
for Gravestone Studies, taught on burial and genealogical related
topics at the Newberry Library, and possessed encyclopedic knowledge of
Chicago-area cemeteries. Her work also sharpened knowledge of the
Immigration patterns that shaped Chicago.
You can read more in the Chicago tribune at http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-obit-sclair-bddec20,0,6468565.story.
