Community Service: Cemetery Maintenance

That old flat top guitar my grandma would strum wasn’t in tune, but nobody cared. A collection plate was passed around the crowd to collect funding for the maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery. People gave generously, because they wanted their family members final resting place to be taken care of. Shortly after the singing and a short message, we would all get full on southern fried chicken, casseroles, pies, cakes and family. These were good times.

Sadly, This is now almost a by gone era and has been for many years.

When I was elected Sheriff in 2016, the Perry County Jail inmates were mowing around 40 graveyards in Perry County. We maintained our compound, the skeet range, the Coon Hunters Club, NYX, the Health Department, the Linden Head Start, Iron Furnace and Perry County Courthouse. This service was started with intentions of helping our trusties give back to the community while helping our citizens. Our goal, as always, is to try and help supplement community cemeteries that had little to no funds.

Over the last 6 years we have grown to over 90 cemeteries, along with the before-mentioned county and city properties. TDOT terminated their mowing program due to covid and has never started back. So we picked up the ones they were mowing as well, just to help out. This inmate program can not keep up with the demands or sustain the large number of said cemeteries, county property and all the other inmate programs we have going, that saves this community thousands upon thousands of dollars each year. It’s sad to say, that some have even complained about the free service that we provide, when we get behind due to weather or maintenance issues.

I’ve worked diligently as your Sheriff to try to accommodate anyone that ask for assistance, but it has became downright impossible to do so. The issue that I have encountered county wide, is that there are some cemeteries that are being funded by only a select few family members, while other members, that are financially able, choose not to donate to the overseer at all.

Unfortunately, as of this date, our program can no longer take on any other cemeteries to maintain. The mowing program will commit to mowing once a month of each cemetery on our list that provides donations, gasoline, oil, twine, etc. This should help ease the financial burden and supplement each cemetery on our list.

I encourage all the families of all the cemeteries to come together and donate funding to the overseerer for maintenance and upkeep of their loved ones' final resting place. This funding will be needed so the overseerer can pay for services to maintain the grounds once a month as well. Who knows, maybe we will even get back under that old shade tree with some sweet tea, fried chicken, and revisit some long lost relatives.

Many have asked who they should donate funding to, for their family cemetery. Below is a list that we have had at the Sheriffs Office. If you wish to donate for the upkeep of your loved ones burial sites, please contact the overseer of your cemetery below.

If you see a ? Beside one of the names, that means we don’t know as well. If anyone knows, please in the thread and I will update. Thanks to all who help!

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Sheriff Nick Weems