LANSING — It was a proper spooky Friday the 13th: Siblings Tirstan Walters and Myrna Walters spent time in the once-grave-robbed crypt of the storied Olds family in the city where the Oldsmobile was once king.
The tour was the prize for a Christmas-time auction that benefited the Friends of Lansing’s Historic Cemeteries and in addition to a visit inside the normally-restricted mausoleum, three direct descendants of R.E. Olds shared personal stories.
The mausoleum holds R.E. Olds – the namesake of both the Oldsmobile and REO brands – as well as 15 of his family members.
The crypt was breached by grave robbers who didn’t know what they were taking in the 1990s, looted of both remains and valuables, which were later recovered.
Auction winner Katelin Shear wasn’t able to attend the Friday the 13th ceremony, planned for the only Friday the 13th in 2025, so the visit was given to the second-place entry, said Loretta Stanaway, president of the Friends of Lansing’s Historic Cemeteries, which ran the auction.
She said the auction, which was done with the support and cooperation of the Olds family, raised around $1,000 for the cemetery organization.
Including a picnic in Mt. Hope Cemetery on June 22, there are at least a half dozen public events this year at the historic cemeteries ranging from memorial walks and flower presentations to volunteer opportunities and veterans’ events.
Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: A Friday the 13th adventure: touring the inside of the R.E. Olds mausoleum
Reporting by Mike Ellis, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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