Evergreen?s ?fallen angels? deserve tending

To the editor:

Evergreen Cemetery is a sacred center of Fairfield. It has been a part of my 72 years of life, from the childhood days with my Mom placing flowers on the graves of departed ancestors and friends. This is a tradition to which I still faithfully attend.   

Like all of Fairfield I love Evergreen Cemetery which is so pristinely nurtured and manicured and am so grateful for all this professional attention. I have ancestors interred throughout its soft green grass, going back almost 150 years. An annual cemetery tour of the stones of our elders is becoming a family tradition so the young can have a sense of their elders (everyone gets a plat with the stones marked). We know that life makes more sense if we are in touch with the elders.  

What saddens me is that there are more and more stones that I call ?fallen Angels,? that are broken or in need of resetting. I have reset a good number of my elders? stones and am attentive to any ongoing maintenance needs. I would like to encourage everyone to check out their ancestors? stones and give them any needed loving attention.

Many stones are orphans with no attention being given. Recently I have spoken to people in surrounding counties that attend to the ?fallen Angels? on volunteer team basis. They have reset and repaired many many stones. At least 3 surrounding counties have such volunteer groups. Such a group is sorely needed to care for the ?fallen Angels? in Evergreen and all of Jefferson County.

Finally, times are changing. While I do not have specific knowledge, my sense is that it is time that we must of necessity and gratitude add Evergreen Cemetery to our list of regular charitable contributions.

 ? Gene Copeland, Fairfield