Palmer Pioneer Cemetery to help locate buried loved ones

PALMER -- Members of the Palmer Pioneer Cemetery will be on hand Memorial Day to help people visiting the Palmer cemetery locate the plots of loved ones and friends.

The cemetery, started at its present location in 1936, is operated by volunteer workers and relies on individual memberships, as well as memberships from local churches and fraternal organizations to help cover operational costs. As membership has gone down recently, groundskeeper Wayne Bouwens said cemetery volunteers have worked to keep the cemetery operating.

"We've been sort of just operating on our own, and we've priced graves at what it's costing us to maintain," Bouwens said.

Thanks to work done by local groups such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Elks, the cemetery will be spruced up by Memorial Day. Bouwens said the lawn will be freshly mowed and stand as a ready backdrop for traditional Memorial Day plantings or bouquets.

On Memorial Day, volunteers will be at the cemetery between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. with plot maps available.

"If people want to find old friends or relatives, we'll help them find [them]," Bouwens said.