NIAGARA FALLS, NY {WKBW-TV} — After twenty-five years as a news and commercial production photographer Tim Baxter was out of work. He says "Nobody was hiring, especially old guys with white hair."
Tim made a career change. He took a job as Director of Operations at Oakwood Cemetery in Niagara Falls, New York. It's a job that appealed to his love of history. He says "There are twenty-two thousand people here, on the 18 acres and there are twenty-two thousand stories."
Some of the famous people laid to rest at Oakwood include Matthew Webb, the first man to swim the English Channel unaided. He died swimming the Falls Rapids.
One of the most famous Niagara Falls daredevils here is Annie Edson Taylor. According to Tim "She was the first person to go over the falls in a barrel and survive. And she was 63 years old when she did it."
Tim has been at Oakwood for about twelve years and says "There are really interesting stories here, that's the part that I love." Tours will again be offered in the Spring and they are always looking for volunteer docents. More information is available at their website.
