Effort underway to clean up local cemetery

Each month as Olga Martinez visits her father’s grave at Oak
Mound Cemetery, she can’t help but notice an older section of
graves that are no longer being cared for.
Her building frustration finally brought her to the idea of
organizing a community cleanup and she has spent the last month
rallying interest for her September 10 day of community
service.
“When I drive into the little driveway, I open the door to this
side and I see all of this all of the time and I keep thinking ‘why
isn’t this area being cleaned,” Martinez said as she points out an
area of the cemetery that holds graves from as early as the
1700s.
Oak Mound Cemetery has several grave sections but according to
cemetery grounds keepers there is too much to take care of and the
graves that have been there for several hundred years are not part
of what they are paid for.
“I finally went and asked and they told me they don’t take care
of it and that it is up to the families,” said Martinez.
Many of the graves are dated back to the late 1700’s and early
1800’s when some of the first families settled in Healdsburg.
Cemetery workers and Martinez discussed the possibility that many
of those families may not have anyone living in the area anymore to
help care for the plots.
“I kept thinking about these forgotten people and finally
decided to try and get volunteers out here to help me clean it up,”
said Martinez.
Martinez and her family have been living in Healdsburg and
surrounding communities for over 50 years and said they have
witnessed a lot of growth and care that has gone into other parts
of town and would like to see the same happen at Oak Mound.
“The old area at Oak Mound Cemetery represents part of the
history for Healdsburg…I feel its up to the community to keep this
cemetery clean,” Martinez writes in a statement she calls ‘The
Forgotten.’
Over the last month, Martinez has called service groups and
organizations around the city asking for participation. Her main
goal is to find enough hands to help clean more than two-acres of
overgrowth around the center of the cemetery.
Currently she has received support from Garrett’s Hardware who
donated the bags for brush cleanup, 7-Eleven will provide ice,
Safeway has provided a gift certificate to buy water and Home Depot
is donating weed killer. All of the flyers that Martinez created to
draw attention to her cause were copied courtesy of UPS.
Volunteers can offer their time and resources from 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. on September 10 and are welcome to stay as long or as little
as they can. Organizers urge participants to bring a hat, gloves,
small yard tools and any drinks and snacks they may want.
If you have any questions or would like to donate to the cleanup
call Olga Martinez at 585-2026.
Robin Hug can be reached at [email protected].