Courtesy of the city of Romulus
ROMULUS – Some of the oldest headstones in Romulus Memorial Cemetery received a cleaning, thanks to the efforts of volunteers from outside the city.
Representatives of the Sacred Spaces Gravestone Restoration company in Romeo offered to help after seeing a newspaper story about the efforts of the Romulus Memorial Cemetery Board of Trustees to make improvements at the cemetery.
On Friday, they met cemetery and city representatives at the cemetery. Joining in the effort were 25 eighth-graders, two teachers and a parent from Norup International School in Oak Park. The young people volunteered for the assignment as part of their annual Legacy Day in which they give back to the community.
With guidance from Sacred Spaces owners and sisters Andrea Klinken and Laura Ghedotte, the young volunteers, working in small groups, poured a mixture of ammonia and water onto historic and military headstones – some of which were hardly readable – and used brushes to remove decades of aging. Many of the headstones needed extra care because they were “fragile and delicate,” Ghedotte said.
The cleanup took about three hours. The results were impressive, according to Jan Lemmon, cemetery board chairwoman, who took before and after shots of the headstones.
“They did a wonderful job,” she said. “They worked their hearts out. The difference is night and day.”
Klinken said she and her sister were “honored” to participate in the restoration project. She said Romulus has a “beautiful cemetery with a lot of history,” adding that the restoration process helps maintain respect for the people buried in the cemetery, including many military veterans.
“Every single time we do this, it’s an honor,” she said. “That’s what drives us.”
Ghedotte said Sacred Spaces feels “it’s our responsibility in the work we do to educate the youth about the importance of preserving the historical past of a community.”
“We want to instill respect in young people so they see the beauty and history of a cemetery and honor those that have passed on,” she said.
Megan Petersen, an eighth-grade science and math teacher at Norup, said the annual headstone restoration at cemeteries is among the favorite projects on Legacy Day.
“This group of eighth-graders loved being at the cemetery,” she said. “I think they got a lot out of it. They gained some insight into the wealth of information a cemetery can be. They also gained insight into respecting people’s past.”
City officials were grateful for the effort and greeted volunteers upon their arrival. City Clerk Ellen Craig-Bragg and Treasurer Stacy Paige donated pop and chips. Councilwoman Linda Choate, who is on the cemetery board, donated bottled water and paper towels. Vasant Chapatwala, owner of McDonald’s restaurants in Romulus, provided free lunch for all of the volunteers.
“We cannot thank Sacred Spaces, Andrea and Laura enough for taking an interest in our project and volunteering their work,” Lemmon said.
The cleanup effort at the cemetery continued Saturday as part of the annual Romulus citywide Clean Sweep Day. Volunteers gathered at the cemetery to trim brush, rake leaves and pick up rubbish.
Lemmon said one of the highlights of the day was volunteer Mike Bunch’s unearthing of a long-buried grave marker of Austin Moore, who served in the Navy and died in 1955.
At Monday’s City Council meeting, Councilman LeRoy Burcroff thanked everyone who participated in the Saturday Clean Sweep, which saw volunteers plant flowers in the downtown area and other public places, pull weeds, sweep alleys, pick up trash and perform other cleanup duties. The Romulus Senior Center, the Animal Shelter and school grounds were among the other targeted locations.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he said.
