Page 4 - 2026 Jan-Feb GC

Timm, Friends of Concordia Cemetery receive WNY German Cultural Awards

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ern New Yorkers in their own
history. “We all know that it’s hard
to have wings, if you don’t have
roots,” said Wyrobek. “Thank you,
Elaine, for helping us grasp a bit of
our past, so that we may delve bold-
ly into the future.”
While presenting the award to
the Friends of Concordia Cemetery,
Wyrobek reflected on the seven cor-
poral works of mercy and recogniz-
ing the importance and the
sacredness of cemeteries.
She said, “The Friends of Con-
cordia Cemetery have honored the
call to bury the dead – and to not let
our dead be forgotten. Similar to the
work of Elaine and the Museum,
you let us taste a bit of our past and Ed Arnold, Hofbräuhaus co-owner, at right, presents a couple of gifts Matthew Collard, the Honorary German Consul, presents a procla-
instill in us the need to remember, to to Elaine Timm as Honorary German Consul Matthew Collard, at mation to Todd Cowles, president of the Friends of Concordia Ceme-
honor, and to celebrate the lives of left, waits to present a proclamation. tery, and Chris Cavarello, volunteer coordinator.
our ancestors.” Photos by Michelle Kisluk
Accepting the award for the
Friends of Concordia Cemetery
were Todd Cowles, president of the
cemetery, and Chris Cavarello, vol-
unteer coordinator.
Proclamations and awards were
also presented to both honorees
from Matthew Collard, the Honor-
ary German Consul; and Ed Arnold,
Hofbräuhaus co-owner.

Elaine Timm
Timm serves as curator of the
Das Haus German museum in
Wheatfield in Niagara County, a
position she took as she reconnected
with her German heritage thanks to
a friend’s interest in genealogy more Elaine Timm, at center, with supporters, and award presenters. Chris Cavarello, at center, with supporters, and award presenters.
than 35 years ago.
“I joined the Historical Society returned to Uckermark, a northern A longtime member of the Brüssow
of North German Settlements in region of the country, five more Museum suggested that we become fostering communication and coop- teers use ground-penetrating radar
Western New York in 1994. The times since then. sister museums, which we did in eration between their organizations. and dowsing rods to help find the
first time I planned to go to Germa- “While there, I visited the muse- 2018. We continue to exchange in- Friends of sunken stones to be removed and
ny was with a group, leaving on ums in Brüssow and Bergholz, formation regularly. A tour of 36 Concordia Cemetery salvaged, she says.
Sept. 12, 2001,” she recalls. She was learning more genealogy and seeing residents from the Uckermark visit- Concordia Cemetery dates back Friends of Concordia also work
finally able to go in 2008 and has artifacts like the ones at Das Haus. ed our museum in October 2024,” to 1859 and is one of the oldest on researching the people interred in
she says. They wanted to come ear- cemeteries in the area. “We were the cemetery and are trying to se-
lier and had a trip lined up for 2020 kind of the working person’s ceme- cure funding to preserve the original
but were unable to visit due to the tery,” says Bonnie Fleischauer of farmhouse on the property, dating
pandemic. the Friends of Concordia Cemetery. back to 1845. Fleischauer said, “We
For Timm, her work is a testa- “It was founded by three churches research genealogies. I’ve done
ment to her love of learning. She to share 15-and-a-half acres, and about 200 of them. We had a care-
enjoys being part of genealogical (was populated by) mostly German taker in the 1800s who recorded
groups, historical organizations and immigrants at the beginning, then it who he sold (plots) to…I think there
preservation societies and attending evolved as Buffalo evolved.” were about 2,000 sales records, but
meetings, both virtually and in-per- The cemetery was briefly aban- the burial records are in the church
son, and sharing what she’s learned doned and uncared for but volun- records.”
with others. Timm also is working teers have helped to bring it back to Each year, Friends of Concordia
with the Ralph Wilson Explore & its beautiful state. “Some of the Cemetery hosts a family history day
More Children’s Museum at Canal- neighborhood people started com- where volunteers work with fami-
side in downtown Buffalo on an ing over with push lawnmowers and lies to find their ancestors. “We help
exhibit reflecting all of the region’s taking care of it, and then a group of with genealogies, we help with re-
immigrant groups and cultural heri- volunteers got together whose an- search and basically introduce peo-
tages. cestors were there. It’s been that ple to the history of the area and the
Timm also has worked with mu- way ever since.” impact here,” said Fleischauer.
seums in Germany to establish sister The volunteers spend a lot of Currently there’s a team of
museum relationships to continue time trying to clean headstones and, around 30 volunteers who help care
when needed, will organize a “dig”
for the cemetery and work on family
to help resurface stones that may
records, but more people are always
have sunken into the earth. Volun-
needed and welcomed.

4 • THE GERMAN CITIZEN • January - February 2026