Cemeteries prepare for the busy Memorial Day holiday

By Jazmine Knight

With Memorial Day quickly approaching, cemeteries across the country are preparing for the holiday. For some locally, they begin getting ready months in advance.

“We start way back in March,” said Eric Montegna, general manager of St. Joseph Memorial Park Cemetery. “We send our staff out to look at every grave and every marker in the cemetery to do a pre-spring inspection.”

During the inspection, they address issues that may have occurred over the winter such as settling graves, markers that aren’t flushed with the ground, grass issues and more.

For veterans in particular, Memorial Park partners with the Marine Corps in St. Joseph to decorate gravestones with American flags. They also pass them out for days leading up to Memorial Day.

Montegna said he believes that Memorial Day is a great way to honor veterans and fallen loved ones as well.

“Over the past 125, 150 years, it has become a day that we remember all of our loved ones who are gone,” Montegna said. “But we do really remember our veterans on those days for sure.”

Many show their appreciation and admiration for lost loved ones by decorating their gravestones with flowers, balloons and pictures. While most things are acceptable, there are a few exceptions.

“I would caution people about bringing things out. Glass is tough in the cemetery,” he said. “And just realize everything in the cemeteries are affected by weather. Bad weather usually occurs this time of the year, so things can get blown around.”

However, while the flowers look pretty, they will quickly be cleaned up to maintain mowing and upkeep of the cemetery. Especially with the increase in rain lately, Montegna is expecting the grass to be pretty shaggy by the time June 3 comes.

“You can place things right now at any time and they’ll remain there until the Monday after Memorial Day, which I believe is June 3,” he said.

That day, staff will begin the two-day cleanup process, which begins with picking up all the items.

“That’s one of the times twice a year we clean up everything,” Montegna said.

However, community members can put decorations back out after cleanup is finished.

Also as a reminder, Montegna advises people to be cognizant of others and patient this Memorial Day weekend.

“Not everyone’s in the same place. Some people are here and it’s a joyous occasion. Other people are here and it’s a very sad or somber occasion,” Montegna said.

Regardless of the occasion, Montegna enjoys seeing people come out for Memorial Day weekend.

“I enjoy seeing people come out here who we’ve helped earlier this year or 20 or 30 or 40 years ago, and reconnecting with them and seeing them in a different place than the last time we saw them,” he said.