AFTON _ An Afton couple had a big surprise waiting for them when they went through the contents of a lot they won at a storage-unit auction in Sidney.
Among the items Dan Butts, 52, and his wife, Marilyn Albanese, 55, found was what appeared to be the funeral urn of a man named Robert James Mazzella, and a collection of photo albums, they said at their house on Monday. They are looking for help in locating Mazzella's family.
Albanese said the hunt was important to her because the couple lost everything they had in a fire 10 years ago.
"That is why this bothers me so much," she said.
They bought the vessel as part of a lot for about $115 from a sale conducted by Evans Auction Service of Norwich on April 23, said Albanese. A few days later, they went down to pick up the items and found the container with what appeared to be the remains of Mazzella in a cardboard box marked "Bob, Bear and Coon," said Butts.
The oak container, with a ceremonial handle, has what appears to be the birth and death of Mazzella: March 21, 1952 _ June 9, 2000, he said. A smaller urn was also found in the same box. Upon examining videotapes found in other boxes, the couple realized they might have the funeral urns of Mazzella and his two dogs, Coon and Bear, said Butts.
"I'm sure someone out there would want Bob back," he said.
Albanese said the only clue they had to work with came from papers found among the materials with the name of Marie Materazzi, 31 North Main St., in Bainbridge. The videotape indicated that at some point, Materazzi and Mazzella lived together and owned a house.
A letter sent to Materazzi was returned and a call to her number would not go through, she said. When visiting her building, Albanese was not able to local anyone who knew her. The post office was not able to provide a forwarding address.
In checking with a local funeral home, James Barnhart, owner of C.H. Landers in Sidney, said there should be a certificate of cremation inside the urn that could help locate Mazzella's family. He encouraged the couple to bring the item in, and he or an associate would help open it and locate the number. Butts said he would be in touch with the business soon.
The couple bought the items that contained the urns in their quest for merchandise to sell at flea markets and the like, they said. She is a machinist at Amphenol Corp in Sidney and he is a self-employed horseshoer.
They were attracted to the lot because of the lumber that was among the objects. Albanese said whoever owned the lot also collected bells and liked to garden by what she found in the lot.
"It's like a treasure hunt," said Butts.
But they are pursuing their search because, being about the same age of Mazzella, they can identify with his plight.
"I'm sure my daughter would want to know where my ashes are," Butts said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Albanese or Butts at 967-3006.
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