DAY 171: MARKING OFF A GRAVE
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at 07:44PM 
A chore I've heard mention of my whole life is called "marking off a grave". It is something my Dad does when we have a death in the community. I never tagged along to watch what exactly that job entails...until today - the first day of summer, 2010.
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Above is a picture of Holy Cross Church, and if you can see that speck of a human to the left of the church doors, that is my dad. It was a stifling hot and humid day, with temps hovering at nearly 100 degrees. Here he is - almost 78 years old - and he outpaced me by far! The grave that will be marked and then dug was in the very back of the cemetery, which is quite a hike even on a good day.
Daddy has certain tools he uses to mark off a grave. Most importantly, he brings with him a sketch he pencils off at home, taken from his years of extensively mapping the local cemeteries so he'll know the exact location of the grave for the recently deceased.
Other tools are a yard stick, a long flexible measuring tape, and a hammer for driving in four wooden stakes, one at each corner of the grave. You can see that these same stakes have been used for a long time, judging from their flattened out tops. They are painted a bright hue for easy visibility.
The last thing is to spray paint an outline of the grave's perimeter. Daddy forgot the paint, so I had to run back to the Jeep to retrieve it before he could finish up the job. Shew! Hard work for a transplanted city girl like me who's spoiled to air conditioning!
Now the people digging the grave will know exactly what to do.
I thought we were finished at this point, but Daddy had other ideas. He crossed the cemetery to check on the grave of a recent burial, cleaned it off, and made a mental note to have some extra dirt added to it. The ground settles over time, and more soil has to be added once, twice, or even more times, depending on the grave's location.
This is just one of the many behind-the-scenes tasks of a country undertaker. I love my Dad.
Reader Comments (2)
I am a good friend of your sister Laura (work with her at BHE). Just introduced to your blog. A delightful article about your dad with great photos. Reminds me of Thomas Lynch's "The Undertaking," an excellent set of reflections by an undertaker who writes like a poet. I am eager to read more of your entries. Thanks for your gift of "story," one of life's greatest treasures!