Most of us living on our planet today give little thought to cemeteries, unless of course the need for a space in one becomes an issue for us, or a loved one. In larger cities, cost of the upkeep and maintenance of the grounds is written into the overall cost of a funeral. Smaller towns, such as the area we reside in here in Eastland, Brown, Callahan, and Comanche counties (as well as several others) also have costs related to the actual funeral. However, after the funeral, few people consider what happens to the area where their loved one has been buried; in fact most individuals seldom visit a grave. This is not a judgment of anyone–just a simple fact.
Lives have become so overwhelmingly busy, it simply seldom happens. This is a letter to bring attention to the fact that most cemetery’s in our area are run strictly on donations, by people who care, and are willing to take the time to mow, edge, trim, remove trash, fill low places caused by ground settling, straighten headstones which have begun leaning (also due to the ground settling). There are a lot of area residents who do frequently visit the grave site of their loved ones, and maintain the area themselves, but again, the overall area has to be overseen by a caretaker. Funds to purchase maintenance materials, such as dirt for filling in sunken graves, gas for mowers, etc. sometimes come from the pockets of those caretakers.
Please consider making a TAX DEDUCTIBLE donation to any local cemetery to help ensure the upkeep and maintenance is ongoing. I’m sure most of us have seen an overgrown cemetery and wondered “Why doesn’t SOMEONE take care of that?”
-Cathy Quinn
Photo: Jim Walker straightens a headstone in the Rising Star Heritage Cemetery
