St. Charles Catholic Cemetery
Volume 28, Number 41
36 Pages, 4 Sections
Wednesday October 26 , 2005
The
Country Today
Page 1A
No rest for peace
Families stay busy restoring rural cemetery
Regional Editor
CLAYTON — A few years ago, tangled barbed wire, fallen trees, broken glass and cans made the St. Charles Cemetery in rural Clayton an eyesore.
Some of the 38 grave markers in the abandoned cemetery could barely be seen under six decades of overgrown weeds and brush.
But even though those buried there are gone, they’re no longer forgotten, thanks to the efforts of retired farmer Goldie Meyer, 77, and too many friends and family to count.
The sacred ground has been transformed into a tranquil resting place — for the deceased and for their loved ones.
A sign at the corner of county roads D and K east of Clayton invites everyone to reflect at the cemetery, where a wind chime sings softly and each of the 38 graves is lit with solar-powered lights.
Almost 100 newly planted trees, a majestic stone arch and numerous monuments — including a teardrop and pedal tractor in honor of the unbaptized babies buried outside the cemetery’s perimeter —- adorn the grounds. There is a small stone angel at each child’s grave.
The cemetery restoration project began in 2000, when Mrs. Meyer’s husband, Roman, was diagnosed with a rare bile duct cancer. Knowing his time was short, the couple made funeral and burial plans. Although the little cemetery about a mile from their farm was in disarray, they had family ties to it: Mr. Meyer’s sister, killed by a drunk driver at age 9, and his stillborn brother are
there.
But nobody had been buried there since 1943, and the site was a mess. The Meyers requested and received permission from the local priest to restore it.
“It was good for (Roman) to do that,” Mrs. Meyer said. They cleared brush and debris from cluttered grave markers. All the trees were removed, and the barbed wire fence built in the early 1900s to deter cattle was torn out. Concrete elk, moose and bears were placed on the edges, all facing a cross. In the woods to the north are birdhouses and the original cemetery gate.
When Mr. Meyer died almost five years ago, he left money to his wife to continue the project. She’s been a faithful caretaker.
“It’s what Roman wanted,” Mrs. Meyer said.
She located relatives for all but two of those buried there: Anton Engle, who died in 1931, and Theresia Dewald, who died in 1916.
Mrs. Meyer consults families before replacing any deteriorating headstone. Some date back to 1909, when the one-acre parcel was purchased by the Catholic Diocese of Superior.
In 1910, St. Charles of Maple Leaf Catholic Church was built nearby as a mission of St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Turtle Lake.
The church and cemetery were closed in 1947. Lumber from the church was used to build a house in Clayton. Although she spearheaded the project, Mrs. Meyer is quick to say she didn’t do it alone. Her family and friends and relatives of those buried there have helped.
“I don’t want anybody to think that I did this alone,” she said. “Without good neighbors and good people, it just couldn’t get done.”
About 60 people attended the Memorial Day service this year at the cemetery. Stories about the life of each person buried there were shared .
Mrs. Meyer said the project was the best therapy after her husband died. She visits the cemetery almost daily and only recently stopped walking the 1¼ miles there.
“She takes the car now,” said her daughter, Susan Meyer.
The biggest jobs are complete, but Mrs. Meyer is not done. She decorates the grounds for each holiday and recently acquired a few large rocks she hopes to have moved to the cemetery.
Although she wants to add concrete deer to the cemetery, she’s looking for advice on how to keep out the real ones, which munch on the arborvitae.
Mrs. Meyer has set a goal to visit at least one cemetery in each state and estimates that she’s been to one in about
20 states.
“If I make my mind up, it gets done,” she said.
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