Volunteers help prepare Oak Hill Cemetery for Memorial Day
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Preparing for Memorial Day
Thanks to the Knights of Columbus, Oak Hill Cemetery will be ready for Memorial Day.
JANESVILLE — A knight in shining armor is a good thing.
Several knights, armed with lawn mowers and weed trimmers, are even better.
This year, Oak Hill Cemetery will be ready for Memorial Day thanks to the efforts of volunteers from the Knights of Columbus, a volunteer sexton and a hired crew.
“We got ahead of it early this year,” said Gordon Engebretson, president of the cemetery association. “It should look very, very well by Memorial Day.”
In 2007, the cemetery association came under fire after Memorial Day visitors complained about the condition of the 110-acre cemetery.
At that time, sexton David Green blamed the association for not hiring enough people, but the association said it was doing the best it could within its budget.
Last year, Green was off work with a back injury. He continues to be off work, and Engebretson has taken over as acting sexton. He’s volunteering his time, and the association has hired a small crew to help with upkeep.
Then the Knights stepped in to help.
“There were probably 10 or so of them,” Engebretson said. “It really, really helped. It was just wonderful.”
Still, Engebretson would love to have more volunteers, both before Memorial Day and on a regular basis.
About 25,000 people are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. Many of them are in family plots and share one headstone. Engebretson doesn’t know exactly how many headstones he and his crew care for, but he thinks it could be as many as 15,000.
“All that trimming and mowing is very labor intensive,” he said.
TO VOLUNTEER
The Oak Hill Cemetery Association would welcome volunteers both before Memorial Day and on an on-going basis. If you’re interested, call the cemetery office at (608) 754-4030 between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
May 22, 2008 at 6:29 p.m.
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We need community support to investigate what is really going on at Oak Hill. Mr. Engebretson needs to explain what has happened to the perpetual care fund and why there isn't enough money. If you care about the future of Oak Hill please get involved and demand concrete answers. In the article it mentions Mr. Engebretson has taken over as acting sexton volunteering his time because sexton David Green was off work due to a back injury and continues to be off work. This does not make sense to me. Why is this even mentioned in the article? Both sexton David and Cindy Green (office clerk) are no long with Oak Hill. Instead of commenting on David's injury someone should thank both of them for their many years of dedication to Oak Hill.
May 19, 2008 at 4:43 p.m.
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It's great that the cemetery will be looking good for this memorial day, but it sucks that people have to come and care for it because the profits and trust funds have been squandered. Oakhill does more burials than any of the other local cemeteries, but doesn't have any money?? LOL! everyone knows how much burial costs these days, and it is absolutely insane to say they don't have enough cash to pay more workers. Oakhill pays their employees less than the other cemeteries too. I don't see them buying any new equipment, or doing any restoration on the roadways or buildings.
Oakhill is NOT a non profit organization, and because they have no accounting skills, or are squandering their profits, the public has to step up and take care of it for them for free.. Where is the logic here, if one of the local stores was going into the red, would people be coming out of the woodwork to staff the registers? or stock the shelves?
cemeteries have what is called a perpetual care fund or trust if you will, that has been around in oakhill's case for 140+ years. if funds are not misplaced, the interest ALONE should be more than enough to pay the low amount that they pay their help.
I don't want to squash the goodwill story here, just want to inform those involved that there should be investigations into why this is so, and where did all the money go in the care fund??
Don't let them brainwash the public into believing they are some charity group that gives burials away for free..
You don't see Mt. Olivet or Milton Lawns begging for free care from the public.. and you don't see Milton Lawns or Mt. Olivet with 3' grass either do you? Do the math, how many more burials does Oakhill do than both of the other two together?
SHOW ME THE MONEY, or lack thereof... And if they are broke, the should have A LOT of explaining to do.
May 19, 2008 at 4:12 p.m.
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The scouts will again be out in full force this weekend making sure every veteran has a flag. For those that did not think the lawns looked good last year and complained, join me in helping to make sure they do this year instead of sitting around complaining. Make it a family event as we have done for the last 8 years. Adopt a headstone and keep it looking good all year.
May 19, 2008 at 12:41 p.m.
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A picture is worth a thousand words.
May 19, 2008 at 9:48 a.m.
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Funny how the scouts weren't mention but pictured plain as day.
May 19, 2008 at 9:23 a.m.
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Would have been nice if the article mentioned the Scouts. The cub scouts and boy scouts in Janesvile have always stepped up to help in the planting of flags at both Oakhill cemetary and Milton Lawns.
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