A “town memorial wall” will be added at Jones Point Cemetery as a marker for deceased residents not buried in the cemetery.
“More people are doing cremations nowadays. If you don’t have anyone buried at the cemetery, you don’t have anything to show that they lived here,” said resident Becky Nash, who spearheaded the effort behind the monument.
The new wall, four feet high and 10 feet long, will be positioned near the sign at the cemetery’s entrance. Contractors Roger Schnabel and Dave Stickler have donated cement and labor to have the monument built, Nash said. It’s expected to be in place by Memorial Day.
The monument will allow for placement of small, laser-printed granite plaques with room for three lines of text including a name, dates of birth and death, and inscription of a few words. They’ll be available for $75 and can be ordered by contacting Roc or Diann Ahrens, 766-2230.
Nash said her proposed language for the monument’s header is: “Our stories are the stiff ribs of the lives we lived here in Haines. May our stories live on.”
Ralph Borders, Haines Borough’s public works foreman, said there has been talk for years about erecting a mausoleum for ashes, but that era may be past as well. “When I worked for the city, we buried everybody. Now it’s only one out of three or one out of four. People don’t even bury ashes. It’s a change in lifestyle. It’s how people want to be handled.”
A plot and burial at the borough-managed cemetery costs $350. Headstones are not required. “We’ve got lots and lots of room. We developed a back field (for additional graves) and I don’t know when that will ever fill up,” Borders said.