Alphonse Anton Kolb, Elfreida L. Reichelt Kolb, and Kathryn M. Yohann Kolb are buried in Mount Hope Cemetery. They were laid to rest in Section BB, steps away from the Odd Fellow plot and the Fireman’s Monument, overlooking the Hill Court Residential Area of the University of Rochester. Their stones immediately catch the eye of passersby due to the intricate and detailed bronze plaques on both stones. These sculpted works reveal a great deal about the lives of the deceased and what they meant to the artist who made them.

Alphonse Anton Kolb was born near Heidelburg, Germany on December 5, 1893. As a child, Kolb discovered that he had a gift for modeling in clay. He studied art and sculpture in Munich, Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1913. Kolb became a US citizen in 1918. He was a sculptor, designer, and engraver and worked for Bastian Brothers Co. striking metal dies for medals, plaques, and buttons for nearly 50 years. Kolb worked in clay, bronze, steel, wood, silver, and gold, and his works ranged in size from dime-size coins to plaques several feet high. His many works include designing and sculpting the medal for Rochester’s centennial in 1934, the medal commemorating the 1,000^th meeting of the Rochester Numismatic Association, the medal marking the association’s 50^th anniversary in 1962, and many others. He was also responsible for a 1928 tablet on the Broad Street side of City Hall honoring pioneers who came to this area on packet boats. Kolb is credited with a 1932 plaque on the west side of Wilson Boulevard at the University of Rochester bearing the words of The Genesee, the song honoring the Genesee River, written by Thomas Thackeray Swinburne, a UR graduate. In 1938, Kolb designed and sculpted the Civic Medal which is awarded annually by the Rochester Museum and Science Center for community service. In 1955, Kolb was himself the recipient of this award.

At the age of 65, he decided to retire. He and his second wife, Kathryn, traveled for a time, but after her death in 1968, he decided to return to work. "I can’t be without my work," Kolb said. "It’s the best thing for me." Kolb was also a coin and medal collector and had a rose garden at his home. He was a lifetime member American Numismatic Association, the Rochester Numismatic Association, and the Albany Numismatic Society. As a member of the Rochester Numismatic Association, Kolb designed and struck dies for the medal awarded to the outgoing president of the organization bearing that person’s likeness. Kolb held this responsibility from 1920 to 1976, and was himself president of the organization in 1931.

Alphonse Kolb was married to Elfrieda L. Reichelt Kolb until her death in 1945. He later remarried, this time to Kathryn M. Yohann Kolb. Alphonse Kolb did not have any children by either of his marriages, though he was survived by nieces and nephews in Germany. Kolb suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died on March 30, 1983 at the age of 89.

Alphonse Anton Kolb’s gravestone is one he shares with his second wife, Kathryn M. Yohann Kolb. The inscription is located on the opposite side of that memorializing Kathryn Kolb. It reads:

Alphonse Kolb’s own stone is very simple, stating his name, profession, and years of birth and death. This simplicity is in stark contrast to his wives’ stones, which are very personalized and seem to hold a great deal of meaning, both in terms of who the deceased were and what they meant to Alphonse.

Elfrieda L. Reichelt Kolb was born in 1877 and died February 6, 1945 at St. Mary’s Hospital. The cause of death was listed as a cerebral accident, more commonly known as a stroke. She was 58 years old. Virtually no information is available about the life of Elfrieda Kolb. What little there is pertained mostly to her relation to her husband and his position within the community. Regardless of the lack of documented information on Mrs. Kolb’s life, a great deal can be learned from her gravestone.

The stone itself is granite and stands about four feet high, two and a half feet wide, and six inches thick. In the uppermost region of the face of the stone is the family name, Kolb. Beneath the family name is a bronze plaque cast by her husband, Alphonse A. Kolb. It measures 18 inches long and 12 inches high and depicts a man and a woman in a boat being pulled by cherubs. Also included on the plaque is a poem entitled "Love’s Symphony." It reads:

Beneath the bronze cast is a more subtle inscription in German which reads: "O, schone Zeit, O, selige Zeit, Wie Liegst Du Fern, Wie Liegst Du Weit." At the bottom of the face of the stone is "Elfrieda L. Reichelt Kolb 1877-1945".

The bronze plaque is signed in the lower left corner with "A. A. Kolb, SC," a mark which was common to much of Kolb’s work. The "SC" after his name stands for "Sculptor." There is no official record of the poem "Love’s Symphony," so it is assumed that the creator of the plaque is the author of the poem. The poem refers to the joy that love brings to one’s life. It seems an appropriate tribute from a husband to his wife. The image of the man and woman in a boat being pulled by cherubs is perhaps representative of "love guid[ing] life," as the cherubs are determining the direction of the boat. It can be assumed that the man and woman in the are Elfreida and Alphonse Kolb. The image could represent their life, guided by love or could be indicative of their meeting after death. The scene has a somewhat surreal quality, which might indicate that this is the artist’s perception of heaven. The German "O, schone Zeit, O, selige Zeit, Wie Liegst Du Fern, Wie Liegst Du Weit," written under the copper plaque loosely translates to "Oh beautiful time(s)! Oh blissful time(s)! How distant and far away you are!" That it is written in German reveals something of this woman’s heritage. Although there is no information about whether the Kolbs were married in Germany or in the United States, the use of German on the gravestone no doubt affirms their German heritage. The "beautiful" and "blissful times" refers to Alphonse and Elfrieda’s time together on Earth as husband and wife. That she is "distant and far away" indicates that she is no longer with her husband. However, she is not referred to as being dead or gone, but simply as being far away. This suggests that she has gone somewhere else, but is not gone forever. Perhaps it is believed that she and her husband will later reunite or find one another after death. This belief must have brought comfort to Elfrieda’s grieving husband.

Kathryn M. Yohann Kolb was born in 1887. On May 9, 1968, at the age of 80, she was killed in a car accident. She was the second wife of Alphonse A. Kolb. Aside from her relation to her husband and his position within the community, there is no other information available about the life of Kathryn Kolb.

As with his first wife, Alphonse Kolb designed his second wife’s gravestone, creating a personalized tribute to his departed loved one.

The granite stone stands three and a half feet tall, two feet wide and six inches thick. The face of the stone bears a bronze plaque of Jesus Christ bearing the cross and wearing a crown of thorns with the caption "CRUCIATUS" beneath it. Below the plaque the stone reads:

The base of the stone bears the words:

The bronze plaque bears Alphonse’s signature, and displays Christ wearing a crown of thorns and carrying the cross and under this image is the word "CRUCIATUS." Cruciatus is Latin for torture, torment, suffering, or severe mental or physical pain. The image of Christ bearing the cross exemplifies this torture and suffering. This is a stark and somewhat disturbing image to find on a gravestone. The concept of death as being torturous is not often found on contemporary stones. Much more popular is the notion that death is peaceful and restful rather than torturous. Perhaps this image represents the way in which Kathryn Kolb died. As was mentioned above, she was killed in a car accident. Perhaps Mrs. Kolb’s death was not a swift, merciful one, but a drawn out, tortuous trial. Because the stone was created by her husband, the imagery and caption might indicate his feelings about her death. Perhaps the torment referred to is not of Kathryn Kolb, but of her husband. "CRUCIATUS" might refer to his feelings that life without his wife would be torturous. Also it represents Jesus Christ, who died for humanity’s sins that, through him, they might have eternal life.

Below the bronze plaque and "IN MEMORIAM / KATHRYN M. YOHANN KOLB" is the inscription: "TO LIVE IN HEARTS / WE LEAVE BEHIND / IS NOT TO DIE." These lines are from a poem entitled "Hallowed Ground" by Thomas Campbell (1777-.1844) The fifth stanza of the poem reads:

This same idea was expressed by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944): "He who has gone, so we but cherish his memory, abides with us, more potent, nay more present than the living man." In other words, those who have died are not really gone if they are remembered by the living. This too offers comfort to the bereaved.

On the base of the stone is the inscription, "FOREVER / YOUR DEVOTED ALPHONSE" indicates who designed the stone and what relationships were important in the life of both the deceased and the bereaved. The Alphonse referred to in the inscription is her husband, Alphonse Kolb. This inscription indicates that he was very dedicated to her and he felt it important that both the deceased and all those who saw the inscription know this.

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"Alphonse A. Kolb dies at 89." Democrat and Chronicle. April 2, 1983

"Alphonse A. Kolb dies; was sculptor, designer" Times Union. March 31, 1983.

Campbell, Thomas. The Poetical Works of Thomas Campbell. London: Edward

Moxon, Dover Street., 1837

Chambers, Tyler. "cruciatus." The Internet Dictionary Project: Latin Dictionary.

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Gabel, Laurel K. Interview. October 26, 1999.

Ray, Del. "Retirement’s Not for Him." Times Union. May 22, 1969

Ryan, Michael. Interview. October 26, 1999

Whitaker, William. "cruciatus." Latin to English Dictionary Program. Copyright 1999.