A labor of love
Volunteers ensure local cemeteries are cared for
Everytime Marian D鈥橝uria steps into the Oak Grove Cemetery in Uniontown, she鈥檚 surrounded by loved ones.
鈥淚 have my grandparents there, my parents, aunts, uncles, and four more cousins,鈥� D鈥橝uria said, 鈥渁nd of course, my sister. Oh, and then I have ancestors on the hillside on the Route 40 side. They go back to the 1800s, probably.鈥�
It doesn鈥檛 take long for D鈥橝uria to lose count, estimating around 30 of her relatives laid to rest in Oak Grove 鈥� but the exact number is insignificant. Over the years, she鈥檚 grown to care for countless other graves, adopting them as her own, as if the strangers buried beneath were family.
鈥淣ear my family鈥檚 plot are the baby graves, and it just breaks my heart when there is grass overgrown and there is just stuff knocked over, so I make it a point to tend to their graves also,鈥� she said
D鈥橝uria is not alone in the pursuit to keep local cemeteries honored and cleaned. With over 300 cemeteries in Washington County and nearly 150 in Fayette County, the ability to keep grave sites well kept can be a daunting task. While some cemeteries can afford year-round maintenance, other sites have to rely on the kindness of visitors.
Jennifer Primack, operation manager of the Jewish Cemetery Burial Association which includes nearly 50 cemeteries throughout Western Pennsylvania in places such as Carroll Township and Hopwood, said there鈥檚 a word for people who dedicate their time honoring those who have passed on.
鈥淢itzvah 鈥� it means to do a good deed and in Judaism one of the highest Mitzvahs someone can do is doing something good for someone who can鈥檛 thank you for it, and so taking care of a Jewish cemetery really falls in that area,鈥� Primack said.
One of the challenges in preserving cemeteries or burial grounds is even knowing if they exist. Sandy Mansmann, board president of the Washington County History and Landmarks Foundation, said there are hundreds of cemeteries in the county, many of which may be lost or unrecorded.
鈥淭here are probably too many to count,鈥� Mansmann said.
Mansmann said the foundation works with local communities to make them aware of some of the historical or forgotten cemeteries and burial grounds in the area. The group then works with volunteers from that community to research, explore and locate some of these sites.
The hope is that some of the volunteers will adopt the sites.
Mansmann said taking care of these sites is a way of preserving the county鈥檚 history.
鈥淚t鈥檚 our local history, it鈥檚 part of the recorded history,鈥� she said.
As to what drives her and the other volunteers to keep up with grave sites of strangers, Mansmann said she thinks it has to do with respect.
鈥淚 think at one point, we all realize鈥� we鈥檙e going to be one of those people in the ground, 鈥� Mansmann said. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 an honor in taking care of them.鈥�
However, some cemeteries are far from lost, such as Oak Grove Cemetery. The 15-acre cemetery is the final resting place for many historical figures, including Lida Niccolls, the Princess of Thurn and Taxis; Revolutionary War veteran and former Fayette County Treasurer Ephriam Douglass; and Civil War veteran Capt. A.C. Nutt, who shot and killed his daughter鈥檚 fianc茅 in 1882 but was acquitted at trial on the grounds of self-defense.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of history in that cemetery,鈥� said Dr. Gary Brain, Oak Grove Cemetery president. 鈥淲e have quite a variety of people there 鈥� mayors, outlaws, generals and a lot of vets. There鈥檚 a lot of people there who contributed to our community.鈥�
Brain has been the board鈥檚 president since the group of volunteers started the organization in 2011 because the site had been neglected for several years.
鈥淭he veteran organizations helped, but it was getting to be too much,鈥� Brain said.
Maintenance relies on volunteers and donations, which can be an exhausting task.
Arthur Roll, the newly appointed master sergeant of the cemetery, is in charge of making sure the grounds are clean and presentable, spending up to nearly 40 hours a week on that mission.
鈥淵ou would not believe the amount of litter and messes people leave behind,鈥� Roll said.
Roll likes the work. He said he enjoys it when people, who now know him on a first name basis, thank him for looking after their loved ones.
As to why he puts in so many hours during the summer, his answer is simple and immediate: 鈥淚t鈥檚 just the right thing to do,鈥� he said.
D鈥橝uria, who joined the board in 2023, said there鈥檚 a tranquility in taking care of the dead.
鈥淓ven though their souls aren鈥檛 there, this is the final resting place of their body and it鈥檚 the place to show them love and respect,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 feel close to them when I go. They鈥檙e always in my heart but seeing them where they are, it gives me comfort.鈥�