Volunteers help keep Shady Lane Cememtery in tip-top shape.
Shady Lane Cemetery was founded in 1922 by Clarence E. Thomas.
Other owners have owned it through the years. Once a neglected cemetery, volunteers have put in time and effort to restore it to a respectful place for those who rest there. New volunteers are always welcomed.
Louise McDonnell, who has relatives buried at Shady Lane Cemetery, and Carol Wilkerson, who does not, spearheaded the efforts to restore the cemetery. Friends of Shady Lane Cemetery officially incorporated into a nonprofit in January of 2022.
Volunteers at Shady Lane Cemetery volunteer for any number of reasons. Many do not have family or friends buried there. Volunteers give of their time at community workdays at the cemetery held once a month from April to October and other times throughout the year.
Joan McGregor met Louise McDonnel in nursing school. She heard of Louise’s efforts to restore the cemetery and decided that she would help. She was looking for a community project where she could volunteer, and this was a win-win.
“During the last community workday was the most rewarding task. I helped a family member looking for their relatives find a buried monument,” McGregor said. “Years of neglect will cover a flat marker with leaves and eventually sod. To find these missing markers is truly a lost treasure.”
Eileen Johnstone Szymanski’s work of documenting the gravesites at Shady Lane has been very valuable for those looking for family members buried in the cemetery. She has spent countless hours at Shady Lane Cemetery taking pictures of the tombstones.
“I’d come and do a little work and then take a picture. I would come home with about 200 pictures that I’d transcribe into a notebook with the number the camera gave to the picture, the names and dates and my own designation to where these pictures were taken. I began looking at scenery pictures I had taken and then matched up with the plots assigned to the names,” she said.
The list of names was added to Find A Grave with the help of Linda Snyder Koons. To date, there are 5,429 graves on Find A Grave. With some but not all having a picture of the tombstone or an obituary.
“My self-assigned job is to document the cemetery by taking pictures, connecting families and by adding obituaries that give a history of who remain here. The cemetery has given me a great perspective of those who came before us and the stories of how they lived their lives.”
Mark Kuzma, of the South Abington Lions Club, is a new volunteer at the cemetery.
He has cut grass and raised sunken and toppled tombstones.
“As a community minded individual, I thought the cemetery was a great way to contribute my time. I think everyone feels a great sense of accomplishment when you find a buried grave marker or restore a toppled headstone. Cutting the grass and fixing veteran’s flags is a nice way to honor those who have gone before us.”
Kori Grogan and her wife, Patricia Sconfienza, are Bank of America volunteers. They and other Bank of America employees come each community workday to help with mowing, cleaning and scrubbing tombstones, placing flags on veteran’s stones, cleaning the vault, cutting hedges and tree brush and other tasks.
“I drove through Clarks Summit and came across a community workday sign advertising the need for volunteers at Shady Lane Cemetery. I thought it would be a great monthly event to put in our work calendar and encourage others to join as well. I have immensely enjoyed the friends made with both Bank of America volunteers and Friends of Shady Lane community members. Volunteering is a rewarding feeling and when you look back at photos of how the cemetery looked like before, it’s amazing the sense of accomplishment one feels to be part of the work done,” said Grogan.
“I have enjoyed being able to work as a team. I may dedicate a few hours a month to helping, but my few hours combined with everyone else’s few hours contributes to the overall success of the maintenance of the cemetery. It’s incredible to see how much gets done. Volunteers at the cemetery get a sense of accomplishment through the incredible teamwork of each volunteer,” said Sconfienza.
Volunteer William “Bill” Lester III’s great grandparents Clarence and Martha Lester, grandparents William Sr. and Genevieve Lester and his father William Lester Jr. are all buried at Shady Lane Cemetery. He takes care of their grave sites as well as others.
He is a member of the maintenance and preservation committee and designed and installed all the section signs. He was also the main speaker at the cemetery’s Memorial Day event.
“I have been going to the cemetery my whole life,” Lester said. “I see others like me, who went there to take care of their family areas, came together to bond in a common goal. To make sure everyone there is not forgotten, is the right thing to do. It is up to the living to honor those. One of the great things about our organization is showing the historical importance of man of cemetery residents and even our lesser-known residents. I see many volunteers and people I have met that don’t have any personal connection to Shady Lane take tremendous pride in restoring and maintaining the cemetery. My hope is to continue to do our work and see others follow our lead. There is nothing more powerful than a volunteer. We can and have made a difference and will continue to do so.”
Lester is the golf tournament chairman of the Friends of Shady Lane Cemetery upcoming golf tournament. The event will be held Sept. 23 at Rock Creek Golf Course.
Those interested in golfing, making a donation or becoming a sponsor should contact Bill Lester 570-840-3611 or lesterdesignsllc@gmail.com or Carol Wilkerson 570-585-6225 or friendsofshadylane@gmail.com.
