On May 30, 1942, Count Odon de Szaak took his own life. Grief stricken over the death of this beloved wife, Florence who had taken her life just three months prior on February 7, 1942. His body was found on her grave in the Durant Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 30, 1942. Lying among flowers which adorned the grave, it was discovered he had committed suicide by drinking carbolic acid. Suicide notes revealed Odon's great heartbreak and a request to be buried next to his beloved wife. Her family, however, refused and even went as far as forbidding his burial in the cemetery. His body was subsequently taken by Harry Griffith to the Griffith Funeral Home in Wilton. Having no known relatives to claim the body he remained, unclaimed, at the funeral home for some time (48 days went by before his body was buried in Oakdale Cemetery).
Locals who heard about the tragedy began to refer to him as 'The Count.' As time went on and his body remained unclaimed and unburied, people would run into Harry Griffith on the street and ask, "How's the Count?"
Since there were no funds to bury 'The Count' he was eventually placed in a pauper's grave in Oakdale Cemetery and the funeral home and the county paid the funeral expenses. Harry Griffith often was ribbed about this tragedy and he would jokingly reply, "The Count of no account."
Florence Elizabeth Schielie, the daughter of Arthur and Hertha Schielie met Count de Szaak in Des Moines and they were married on August 1, 1938, in Iowa City. Upon marriage she became Countess de Szaak. She was 22 and he was 51. She was described as an educated woman with great musical talents. Her parents did not approve of her relationship and one could surmise their 29 year age difference might have garnered objections, not to mention, he was perceived by her family as egotistical and eccentric. When he didn't attend her funeral, it likely led to the Schiele's refusal to bury him next to her.
Count de Szaak was born of noble birth in Budapest, Hungary to a wealthy family in 1887. His artistic abilities were present even in his youth and he went on to pursue a successful career in art before coming to the United States, in 1912. After immigrating to the United States he established studios at Coronado Beach, California, Berthoud Pass, Colorado, Tahlequah, Oklahoma and Des Moines, Iowa. In 1940, de Szaak was commissioned to create artwork at a plantation in Longview, Texas; it was while here that the tragedy of Florence's death took place.
On October 22, 2025 the Wilton Candy Kitchen welcomed Eva Jeanne Holmes, granddaughter of Count Odon de Szaak, reconnecting a living link to one of Wilton’s most poignant stories. Eva’s visit brought the tale full circle — from a time when townsfolk asked, “How’s the Count, Harry?” to today, when his story and legacy are preserved within the Wilton Archives. Now, through Eva’s efforts to honor her grandfather with a permanent monument, the Count of no account will be unforgotten — his resting place finally marked, and his story forever part of Wilton’s rich history.
