Gone but hopefully not forgotten

To the Editor;

A few years ago a mystery stone showed up in the annex section of Old Dover Cemetery. The stone is about 12 inches long and 4 inches wide. On one side we have the the following inscription: “IN MEMORY OF ALL ARMED FORCES SGT. JOHN F. BEATON.” The reverse side, turned upside down, has the name of a person who is listed as begin in the town records, located in the same section of the cemetery. The small stone was found sitting on top of another stone.

Sgt. John F. Beaton is our mystery person. In our research on this person, he was born in 1903, was in WWII and came from Bangor. There is no death date on him. The deputy town clerk I go to for help tells me he is not in the Dover-Foxcroft database and no burial records were found in Dover-Foxcroft cemetery records.

Is there anyone who can help us with more information about this person? Who is John Beaton? Where is he buried? Where did this stone come from? Who  put the stone in the Dover Cemetery and why?

Glenice Snyder

Dover-Foxcroft