MARY WACHACHA
CEMETERY COMMITTEE
The Blythe-Burgess Cemetery, Homestead of Chief Jarrett Blythe and Mary Burgess Blythe in the Wolfetown Community, is immediately available for burial of your loved ones. The graveyard is available for burials to everyone including non-Tribal members and regardless of your religion or your community. The graveyard is open to all.
In order to maintain the graveyard, a $25 fee is charged for tribal members and a $50 fee for non-tribal members. The Cemetery Committee is working to develop plans and ideas on how to improve the site for future burials. Future plans are to enhance the cemetery landscape, add a road in the graveyard and erect a sign.
New graves are to be facing east and adjacent (i.e., side by side) to existing graves so that the area can be fully utilized so that there are no scattered graves. A space for the spouse can be reserved next to the deceased. All Free Labor groups and grave diggers are asked to put down a tarp next to the grave site on which to put the grass sod and dirt. Once the coffin is covered, the remaining dirt on the tarp must be removed from the cemetery and the sod replaced on the grave. The family is responsible for the upkeep of the area immediately around the grave site by removing old decorations, dead flowers, etc. Please do not plant any shrubbery, flowers, rose bushes, etc. on the grave site. It is encouraged that a headstone be placed on the grave.
Local funeral homes are aware of the Blythe-Burgess Cemetery and will contact one of the Committee members to inform the Committee of the burial.
“Our role is not to approve burials,” said Mary Wachacha, Cemetery Committee. “Our role is to maintain a record of who is buried at the cemetery and to ensure the upkeep of the cemetery.”
Info: Cemetery Committee members: Cathy Smith Burns 497-5672, Mary Wachacha 788-1196, Wolfetown Rep. Bo Crowe 788-2665, Wolfetown Rep. Bill Taylor 788-3880, Jimbo Sneed 497-9508, and Polly Castorena 554-6530.
