We need to support each other
Vol. 3, Issue 29
“I’ve been thinking a lot about life since I decided to end mine and I think to get the most out of it, we need to support each other, be compassionate, and do whatever we can to help others.” —Mary Elizabeth Holliday, “I’m Ending My Life Today. Here’s What I Want You To Know Before I Go.”
NEWS & NOTES
History uncovered in Massachusetts
The grave of a freed Black man who died nearly 300 years ago has been discovered in a Boston boneyard.
The historic find occurred during a restoration project at the Granary Burying Ground, the city’s third oldest cemetery. Kelly Thomas, director of the Historic Burying Grounds Initiative, a division of Boston Parks and Recreation, said she noticed that the slate tombstone, which had toppled over and was covered in dirt, bore a single name: “Boston.”
At the time of his death, people who were buried without a surname were usually enslaved or previously enslaved.
To determine who was buried in the grave, Thomas began digging through historical archives. She eventually learned that the deceased was mentioned in various sources by different names, including Sebastian, Bastian, Basteen and Boston. Further research showed he was once enslaved under the name Sebastian Lake and had been free for nearly 30 years before his death at the age of 70 in 1729.
Boston married a woman named Jane, and they had one daughter, also named Jane. Boston was so well regarded in the community that after he died, he received an obituary – a rarity for a Black man at that time – in the New-England Weekly Journal, per the Boston Globe.
In a speech on July 4, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu described the find as likely one of the oldest gravestones of a free Black person in America.
His grave has been restored and now includes an American flag.
FMI: Click here.
Grief counselor sentenced to prison
A man who worked as a bereavement counselor in Portland, Ore., will spend more than four years behind bars for possessing child sexual abuse material.
Walter Albert Sebaste, 41, had only been employed at the Dougy Center, a nonprofit that provides support to grieving children and families, for three weeks before his arrest. He was fired after federal investigators raided his home and found over 1,000 images of child sexual abuse material on his electronic devices.
Sebaste pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material in April and was sentenced last week to 51 months in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release, Fox 12 reported.
“Today’s sentence is a reflection of the serious harm caused every time a child’s abuse is viewed, and the culmination of the hard work of the FBI and our office to hold abusers accountable,” U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford stated.
According to Megan Desai, an assistant federal public defender, the state found no evidence that Sebaste was involved in any abuse at the Dougy Center.
FMI: Click here.
Would you eat a fly cemetery? I would!
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NOTABLE OBITS
* Former NFL guard Jordan Devey, who won the Super Bowl in 2015 with the New England Patriots, died at 38. The Utah native played football at both Snow College and the University of Memphis. Although Devey was signed by the Baltimore Ravens in 2013 after going undrafted, he joined the Patriots practice squad that same year, then moved to the active roster in 2014. A year later, the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks at the Super Bowl. Over the next six years, Devey would play for the San Francisco 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Buffalo Bills. He retired from pro ball in 2021 after appearing in 44 games, and spent his final years as the offensive line coach for the Eagle High School football team in Eagle, Idaho. (Brandon Judd, Deseret News, Garna Mejia, KSL and Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times)
* Irish singer/songwriter/guitarist/busker Glen Hansard, 56, who won both a Grammy and an Academy Award, died. Hansard was just 13 when he dropped out of high school to become a musician. He formed the band The Frames in 1990, but would often grab a guitar and hit the streets of his hometown Dublin to perform. Although Hansard landed a small role in the 1991 film “The Commitments,” he hit the big time when he played the lead in the 2007 movie “Once.” Hansard and singer Markéta Irglová would win the 2008 Oscar for best original song for their romantic duet “Falling Slowly.” “Once” became a hit Broadway show, winning eight Tony Awards; Hansard also took home a Grammy for best musical theater album. In addition to becoming romantically involved, Hansard and Irglová created the band Swell Season and performed in venues around the world. Hansard also recorded five solo albums, including “Didn’t He Ramble,” which received a Grammy nomination for best folk album. (Niall Glynn and Hayley Halpin, BBC News, Mitch Dudek, Chicago Sun-Times and Stephen Thompson and Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, NPR)
* Vincent Pastore, a character actor who was known for playing Italian American tough guys in TV shows and movies, died at 80. Born in the Bronx, Pastore served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, then earned a degree in drama from Pace University. He didn’t have much luck finding work as an actor until his 40s, when his friends, acting siblings Matt and Kevin Dillon, encouraged him to keep trying out for parts. In response, Pastore took a few acting classes and started appearing in small roles on stage. He would eventually appear in nearly 200 movies and TV programs, including “Carlito’s Way,” “Goodfellas” and “Gotti.” But Pastore was most famous for portraying gangster informant Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero in the HBO mob drama “The Sopranos” (right up until the character ended up sleepin’ with the fishes). (Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times and Clay Risen, The New York Times)
* Capt. Poseidon, the beloved dog who lived aboard the U.S.S. Nimitz, died. He was 3. The black Labrador retriever was the first expeditionary facility dog to serve aboard the Navy’s oldest aircraft carrier. His job was simple: raise the spirits of the carrier’s 5,000 crew members and make their long deployments a little less stressful. Poseidon completed two full years of training before joining the Nimitz in 2025. During his two deployments on the ship, he was affectionately known as Mr. Wigglebottoms for his excited tail-wagging. The nonprofit Mutts With a Mission even created a stuffed animal in his image. “(Poseidon) was a dog who made everybody feel like they were the most important person in the world when he was visiting with them,” said Mutts With A Mission director Brooke Corson. The Nimitz’s crew plans to hold a memorial for Poseidon in the fall. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista, Stars and Stripes)
* Teacher and seven-time “Jeopardy!” champ Courtney Shah died. She was 52. A native of Portland, Ore., Shah taught U.S. and world history at Lower Columbia College in Longview, Wash., for nearly two decades. She also led campus trivia nights and sparked meaningful dialogues through the school’s Community Conversations series. “She had a rare talent for making history come alive, igniting curiosity and passion in every student she taught. Her classroom was a place where every voice mattered, and her warmth and humor made learning unforgettable,” the school stated on a memorial page. In 2021, Shah appeared on the popular TV game show “Jeopardy!” Her seven-game run earned her $118,558 in prize money and a spot in the “Tournament of Champions.” Shah’s ability to quickly recall tidbits of knowledge on the fly helped her reach the quarterfinals before being eliminated. (Tom Tapp, Deadline and The Oregonian)
FAMOUS DEATHS IN HISTORY
On August 3, painter George Inness (69), Polish-British novelist Joseph Conrad (66) and French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson (95)
On August 4, actor/dancer/master of ceremonies Ralph Cooper (84), country singer/songwriter Lee Hazlewood (78) and former U.S. press secretary James Brady (who was shot and wounded in the Reagan assassination attempt) (73)
On August 5, actress/model Marilyn Monroe (36), Welsh actor Richard Burton (58) and Nobel Prize-winning writer Toni Morrison (88)
On August 6, singer/songwriter Rick James (56), the world’s oldest-recorded cat Creme Puff (38) and director/producer/screenwriter John Hughes (59)
On August 7, comedian Oliver Hardy (65), Canadian-American news anchor Peter Jennings (67) and film critic Judith Crist (90)
On August 8, writer Shirley Jackson (48), Canadian-American actress Fay Wray (96) and Australian singer/songwriter/actress Olivia Newton-John (73)
On August 9, dancer/actor Gregory Hines (57), comedian/actor Bernie Mac (50) and football player/broadcaster Frank Gifford (84)
On August 10, Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (60), French/German/American dog actor Rin Tin Tin (13) and singer/songwriter Isaac Hayes (65)
RECOMMENDED SUBSTACK
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“Goodnight for the 4th time.” --John Entwistle, bassist for The Who, to groupie Alycen Rowse before going to sleep in bed
MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
Thanks to Ignacio Amenábar, Unsplash, Mary Elizabeth Holliday, HuffPost, The Freedom Trail, The Huntington News, the city of Boston, WCVB Channel 5 Boston, YouTube, Find a Grave, the Boston Globe, America’s Black Holocaust Museum, WBZ News Radio 1030, Fox 12 Oregon, the United States Attorney’s Office District of Oregon, The Oregonian, What’s For Tea?, The Death Deck, A Bit of Good News, the Deseret News, KSL, the Los Angeles Times, CBS Sunday Morning, BBC News, Apple News, Chicago Sun-Times, NPR, The New York Times, the U.S. Navy, Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Franklyn M. Guage, Mutts With a Mission, Instagram, Stars and Stripes, Lower Columbia College, Deadline, Legacy, The Moonlight Reader Society, On This Day, Playback.FM, Britannica: This Day in History, Time and Date, Wikipedia, The Grief Table - Jamie Herzog, Canva and Deposit Photos for art and story suggestions. Note: Generative AI was not used during the ideation, creation or publication of this newsletter.
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