ღBeloved Cousinღ

WW II

Please stop adding photos of the headstone. Family provided a headstone photo already. The only person who has permission to add the extra headstone is Chris Pigott who helped the family find Billy's grave. Thank you.

Thank You for visiting our beloved cousin William. Your visit is so appreciated by our family. God Bless.

This memorial for Billy is maintained for his daughter and grandchildren.

༻✿William Jay Veit was born April 30, 1924 in Madisonville, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio and was the son of Edith Powell Viet and a traveling salesman, which Edith was never ashamed of. William married Dorothy Jean Gardiner on Feb 9, 1944.

Known Children of William and Dorothy Viet:

1) Judith Ann "Judy" Viet, born in 1944 or 1945 in Australia.

William was close to Earl Shiery and John William "Jack" Steinberger (both cousins to William). The family had a Model T automobile and one day the three boys decided to go for a picnic and swim at the creek. They piled into the Model T and headed down the road to the creek. On the way the old Model T ran out of water. Not being at the creek yet, where they were stranded there was no water to be had anywhere. They had plenty of lemonade with them to drink at the picnic but no water. They decided to fill the radiator up with their lemonade and on down the road they went to the creek where they had their picnic, minus the lemonade, and their fun swimming in the creek. At the end of the day they drove back home, all the while with the lemonade in the radiator! They don't make cars like that today. This was told to me by Jack just the day before making this memorial for William.

William joined the Navy and was doing overseas service in Australia. It was there he met and married Dorothy Jean and there they had their child together. William was serving in the Navy as a laboratory assistant at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is reported William later took his own life by a lethal dose of cyanide willfully administered by himself on February 28, 1945. He was interred in grave #3756, section 15, Church of England, Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Now we know where our beloved William is laid to rest.

May God give you peace and surround you with his merciful love throughout eternity dear William.

❁༺ Obtained from the Trove web-site of digital images of Newspaper holdings at the National Library of Australia.

Army News (Darwin, N.T.), Saturday 3 March 1945, page 2:

"What is Happening in Your Home State...

"New South Wales...

"William Jay VIET, 20, married, died in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on Wednesday night shortly after he was found by his wife and mother-in-law in a state of collapse in the back yard of his home in Glebe. Police have taken possession of two bottles containing chemical substances. Six weeks ago VIET was found with one of his wrists cut."

Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 2 November 1945, page 10 - Funeral Notice:

"VIET - The Relatives and Friends of Mrs Dorothy VIET, of 10 Lyndhurst Street, Glebe, are kindly invited to attend the Funeral of her beloved husband, William Jay, to leave our chapel, 310 George Street, Sydney, THIS (Friday) AFTERNOON, at 3 o'clock, for the Church of England Cemetery, Rookwood. Wood Coffill Ltd."

Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 9 March 1945, page 12 - Return Thanks:

"Mrs Dorothy VIET and family wish to convey their sincere THANKS to relatives and friends and kind neighbours, and the staff of The Colonial Sugar Refining Company, for kind expressions of sympathy and floral tributes in their recent sad bereavement. Please accept this as personal thanks."

1. Dorothy Jean GARDINER and William Jay VIET were married on 9 Feb 1944, the marriage Registered in Sydney.

2. Dorothy Jean VIET was married 2ndly, at Glebe, on 19 April 1947, to George Robert Gordon WILLS.

3. An on-line tree has Jean dying in 1991, aged 67.

Information kindly provided by Chris PIGOTT.

Billy was born in the USA, but was also a natural citizen of Australia due to his father being Australian. Billy said he'd met his father twice. Billy was told by his father he didn't want anything to do with him, because he thought Billy was looking to gain an inheritance, as his father and his people were wealthy. Billy told him he didn't want his money. He just wanted to get to know his father. On Billy's second visit this man and his sons threatened Billy and told him to never come back again or else. When Billy went to the kitchen the day of his death to take some medicine for his upset stomach was when he ingested cyanide. It was ruled he got the cyanide from the lab where he worked and intended to end his own life. It was not investigated further. When our family got news of Billy's death they believed someone else took his life. It was so implied that it led to quite a few of the family flying to Australia. His mother Edith went along with her daughter Virginia, from her first husband who Billy was named after, a cousin Earl Schiery, and also not mentioned on the report were Alice Powell Steinberger (sister to Edith), and her son John William "Jack" Steinberger who was as close as a brother to his cousin Billy. In the end the family was not satisfied fully with the decision and the report, but it was left as it was. To me it was interesting when speaking about it years later myself with my Grandma Alice, she said she knew who Billy's father was, as did those who went to Australia with Edith, but no one would speak his name. To this day not one person ever revealed the name of Billy's father. I pray Billy found rest of this matter on the other side, and that the Lord healed his broken heart. Either way it was a sad ending for Billy. As my Grandma Alice said it was best to leave it where it was at and move on since nothing could bring our Sweet William back again. We will see you on the other side Sweet William. We surely will. Rest well beloved.

"10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

"11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."

1 Timothy 6:10-11, KJV.

❈ References:

1) Constance Steinberger Bair, member of Daughters of the American Revolution,

2) Alice Powell Steinberger

3) Meriel Steinberger Sterling

4) John William "Jack" Steinberger

5) Ralph E. Steinberger

6) Mary L. Sterling

7) Chris PIGOTT

Copyright © 2015 by Mary L. Sterling All personal materials, images, and data contained herein are not to be copied or down loaded for commercial purposes of duplication, distribution, or publishing without the express written permission of the owner. Information contained on this memorial is provided free for the purpose of aiding individuals doing genealogical research and to preserve family history.

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