Woodlawn Cemetery - Lima Ohio

04/23/2026

The Stueber family monument memorializes "Father" and "Mother," Andrew J. Stueber (1834-1902), and Katharine ( Marx) Stueber (1836-1924). Andrew was a railroad blacksmith, who was hit and killed by a P., F.W, & C. train while on duty as a watchman. Katharine was a licensed midwife, trained at Heidelberg, Germany, before coming to America and bringing her parents along. The Stuebers' two sons followed their mother's calling in medicine. Dr. Frederick G. Stueber's specialties were otolaryngology and opthalmology, and Dr. Louis J. Stueber was in the military, which unfortunately ruined his health and led to an early death (1904). Dr. F.G. and his wife Emma (Moser) Stueber, and their son Dr. Paul J. and his wife Alice (Williamson) Stueber are buried in the big mausoleum. Their son, Dr. Paul J. Stueber is here with his wife Anne (Krueger) Stueber (d. 1996 and 2006). Louis's wife Nina E. (Purtscher) Stueber is also buried close by with a smaller monument; however, George Marx, her husband is nowhere to be found (d.1871).

04/16/2026

The name Baxter is very prominent in Lima history and includes bankers, physicians, dentists, merchants, newspapermen, automotive dealers, real estate, and hospital administrators. Samuel A. Baxter, Jr. built an imposing mausoleum in a scenic setting. He died in 1908. His father, Samuel A. Baxter, Sr., had died in 1875 and is also buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, behind and above the family mausoleum with his first wife, Nancy Meason (d. 1862). Among the Baxter clan interred in the valut are Frank Baxter (1938), Clement Baxter (1957), and their wives. The latest interment was Helen (Baxter) Boyle, daughter of Frank Baxter, in 1979.

04/09/2026

A tall granite shaft memorializes the Stamets family. John P. Stamets brought the family to Lima in 1877 and became a local hardware merchant, owning a carriage shop as well. He and his wife, Malinda (Kern) Stamets, only had one child survive: Lorin E. Stamets. After the father's death in 1897, Lorin carried on the family business, then became involved in real estate, putting up downtown buildings. Lorin married Minnie Reichelderfer, daughter of the local lumber merchant, so had interests in that business as well. She died in 1924. He was a secretary/treasurer of Woodlawn Cemetery before his death in 1935, when the distribution of his estate made a large splash in the papers. Eventually, the only heirs were, as he had intended, the YWCA, YMCA, the Lima Hospital Society, and Woodlawn Cemetery. Also buried here are his borther, Harry Stamets and his family.

04/05/2026

04/04/2026

Woodlawn Cemetery reached 1,000 Facebook followers today! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for every like, comment, and share. https://woodlawncemeterylima.com/

04/02/2026

Near the front edge of Woodlawn Cemetery, a handsome granite mausoleum commemorates King Ballinger who died in 1960. King C. (or Kingcy) Ballinger will always be a question mark. He owned the Friendly Inn on Findlay Road, which was known in later years as Hilltop Recreation. He had several wives, of whom one, Ruby, is here also, having died in 1949. Along with them is the son (d. 1929) of a different wife. His only children did not carry the Ballinger name and lived out of state.

03/26/2026

Wolfgang Schultheis established a tannery in Lima on Water Street at the intersection of Elizabeth in 1863, and there it continued under his sons until 1917. The elder tanner died in 1903, his wife, Helen (Byer), had died in 1899. Their sons, Gustave (d. 1889), George (d. 1891), and John (D. 1912), all lie here - tanners all, along with Charles, a banker, and his wife Malinda (Eckert) Schultheis, who both died in an auto accident in 1930. Eventually, the tannery was removed to open Elizabeth Street to the south. The family monument is marked with a gracefully draped funerary urn on top.

03/19/2026

Section 14 of Woodlawn Cemetery contains the Ashton family - Edwin (surgeon and druggist) and Frank Ashton, Jr. (lumber dealer), who were incorporators of Woodlawn. Their parents were Francis, Sr., a hardware dealer (d. 1882), and Elizabeth (MacKinder) Ashton (d. 1869). Francis, Sr. was builder of the original structure of the Lima Trust Co. - the Ashton Block. Their borther, William Ashton, was a Realtor who died in 1891. A handsome memorial on an island commemorates the whole family. An intersting separate memorial sculpted to represent a log commemorates Susan (Thomas) Ashton (d. 1889), wife of their brother, Christopher, but neither she nor her husband are on the island; they are across the drive to the west.

03/12/2026

Standing apart in a quiet newer area is the Schoonover memorial, a triad of hexagonal columns with central urn. The Schoonover family is remembered for bringing their Auglaize County banking interest to Allen County. Father John T. Schoonover established City Loan here in 1912. Thomas R. Schoonover, was a great philathropist, leaving us as memorials the City Loan Co., Schoonover Park, gifts to schools in Allen and Auglaize Counties, and gifts to area colleges. He died in 1958, and his widow, Helen (Wemmer) Schoonover, survived until 1970. Also here are his brothers, Fred G. (d.1967) and wife Edna (Langhorst) (d. 1968) Schoonover, and Sam J. (d. 1978) and Bernice "Babe" (Gillis) (d. 1977) Schoonover, and the wife of T.R.'s son Jack, Sarah Jane "Sally" (Marvin) Schoonover (d. 1999), as well as a memorial to Maria Schoonover Wiseman.

03/05/2026

One of the interesting early monuments, tall and slender, and one of the few metal monuments in Woodlawn Cemetery, being of "white bronze" (or zinc), is that of John A. "Long John" Anderson, who was a machinist and engine-builder. His wife, Lydia (McDonald) passed away in 1880, and John had this monument erected. He drowned in a sleigh-riding accident in Michigan and a memorial was placed here in 1889. Other members of the family are also buried here.

Woodlawn Cemetery is seeking family members of Long John Anderson. If you are a descendant, or know anyone who is, please contact us. Thank you!

02/26/2026

Among our many building contractors was one exceptionally talented one who was well known for the many fine schools, municipal buildings and theatres he built in Lima and the surrounding area. Andrew Gerald "Gerry" Sawyer (d. 1962) was owner of Green & Sawyer Contractors. He had come to Lima from Cincinnati as an engineer on the B&O Railroad. He soon went to work for the Green contracting company, and eventually became a partner. His wife was Mary Christine Jones (d. 1980). Their children were Adelaide C. (d. 1992), Thomas G. (d. 1979), and Sylvia (Mrs. Martin Knapp). Their gray granite stone bears a quotation from Psalm 30: 5: "Weeping endureth for a night, joy cometh in the morning."

02/12/2026

Frederick Agerter was born in 1833 and died in 1883. Associated with the machine business known as Carnes, Agerter, & Co., which later became the Lima Locomotive Works, Mr. Agerter was born in Switzerland and apparently his family wanted posterity to recognize this fact, as his monument bears the inscription, "Canton Berne, Switzerland." His widow, Martha J. (Browne) Agerter (d. 1909), is by him, and the rest of the family is nearby on the same lot. The family further emphasized their Swiss ancestry by naming Frederick's nephew, William Tell Agerter, for the Swiss national hero. Born in 1859, William T. Agerter was also an official of the Lima Locomotive Works and a president of the Woodlawn Cemetery Association. He died in 1944 and is on an adjoining lot with members of his family, including his wife, Charlotte (Disman) Agerter.