Poignant sorrow echoes in the stones before us. This is the Helena Schaaff Saunders Memorial. It stands as a testament to love and loss. We are at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia. Here lies Helena Schaaff. She was a mother and a composer.
Helena composed “Doubler Marche pour Piano”. It was written for Jenny Lind. She also composed “The Bavarian Polka.” Helena’s life was marked by tragedy. Her first child was stillborn in 1855. In 1857, she endured a difficult labor. Sadly, both Helena and her second child died. They are buried here together.
Helena’s husband was Henry Dmochowski-Saunders. He was a Polish sculptor. He designed and created this memorial. Henry’s grief poured into his work. He labored for eighteen months on this tombstone.
Henry Dmochowski-Saunders also sculpted busts of Thaddeus Kosciusko. He also sculpted Casimir Pulaski. These busts are in the US Capitol Building.
Henry cherished Helena deeply. Some say he preferred to remain childless. He feared the risks of childbirth for her. His fears tragically came true. The memorial bears inscriptions. They express Henry’s profound grief. Some are even in Polish.
One inscription includes a quote. It is from a poem by Philip James Bailey. It reads: “We live in deeds not years. In thoughts not in breath. In feelings not figures on a dial. We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives. Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.”
After completing the memorial, Henry returned to Poland. He joined the army against the Russians. He never came back to America. Nor did he ever marry again. Helena remained the love of his life. Their attempt to create a family led to their deaths.
Another inscription reads: “Passerby. If you lost everything you loved in this world. Your homeland, parents, friends, wife, and children. Shed a tear of sympathy for my darling Helena.”
The Helena Schaaff Saunders Memorial reminds us of love’s enduring power. It also reminds us of the pain of loss. It is a place for reflection. Here we can honor Helena’s life. We can also remember the sacrifices of motherhood.