June 14, 1998 The Sunday Journal

by: Carol Henrichs

Cleaning up the mausoleum

Sandra Thielman, of Wonder Lake, Ill., led Saturday’s volunteer effort to clean-up the exterior of the Beecher Mausoleum. Dressed in protective garb, Ms. Thielman assisted professional painter Ron Bunday, also of Wonder Lake. The two applied a caustic limestone cleaner to the building which would then be washed off under pressure. The cleanup was the first step in the restoration process of the once-regal structure where five of Ms. Thielman’s descendants are laid to rest, including her great-grandfather Henry, the man credited with building the structure. Volunteers are needed for the effort which resumes today on the grounds of the Mausoleum just off Cemetery Road east of Dixie Highway.