Mystery Solved
August, 2004
In the 1920s, Léon Georges Theuriet and his wife Suzanne lived in a large house on 2.21 acres between Ferndale and Ridgewood. He had a jewelry manufacturing operation in the adjacent small house on the property.
Léon Theuriet died of diabetes in Ross General Hospital on November 24, 1930. He was only 46 years old. His obituary in the Mill Valley Record mentions several prominent citizens: his doctor was George Landrock of Mill Valley; funeral services in San Francisco were managed by the Rotary Club of Mill Valley, Walter Robinson, president; pallbearers were: Alex McCurdy (a neighbor and police chief), Chas. McCrum (a policeman), Will Falley (City Clerk), H.P. Bennett (printer of a local newspaper), James Russell (retail merchant of automobiles) and Donald Burbeck (postmaster). His body was removed to Mt. Olivet cemetery in Colma for cremation.
Léon Theuriet has 35 descendants living in the United States. Carol Theuriet, wife of his grandson, has researched the Theuriet genealogy extensively. She has been unable to locate Léon Theuriet’s remains. This mystery has perplexed the family for many years.
In 1972, John and Liz Bolton bought a house on No. Ferndale built in 1952 on a lot that had been part of the Theuriet property. In 1981, Ed Sexton, a local contractor, was digging a hole for a hot tub in their backyard. His pick struck something metal. Upon investigation he determined it was an urn containing ashes. On its brass cover were the words, “At Rest.” Ed was quite perturbed by this disquieting experience. He showed the urn to Liz, and they wondered what to do. When John came home from work the three of them had a long discussion. They decided to bury the urn a few feet deeper than where it had been, and to install the hot tub as planned. Since then, the Boltons have joked about being “At Rest” when they were in the hot tub.
In 2003, Carol Theuriet learned of the Bolton’s discovery. She checked the records at Mt. Olivet Cemetery and determined that Léon was indeed cremated there and that his ashes had been given to his wife Suzanne. It seems likely that the urn was buried in the Theuriet’s back yard. Theuriet descendants were pleased to learn that for 73 years Léon’s ashes have been “At Rest” under a hot tub in Homestead Valley.
If you have comments or questions about this article or other topics
pertaining to the history of Homestead Valley,
please feel free to e-mail Chuck Oldenburg.