We loaded up our “Cemetery Kit” and headed to Woodward Hill Cemetery this morning. We were on a mission. Our mission? Clean up the Auxer site and look for Dorothy Auxer’s stone that is supposed to be in this site. Who’s Dorothy Auxer? That’s what we want to know!
Digging bar in hand, we started stabbing around looking for a buried headstone, hoping to find Dorothy. We found what we thought was a stone, and Jim started shoveling. It turned out to be the base of Cecelia Faesig’s headstone. Making sure that was what it was, we shoveled the dirt off of the one next to it, and sure enough, it was the right size for a base for Frank Faesig’s headstone.
Not finding Dorothy’s stone . . . yet, Jim decided we would replace Mary Auxer’s headstone. It had been pushed off of it’s base sometime in the last year and when we decided to clean up this site, it included trying to replace the stones in their original place. Mary’s stone is seen next to the shovel in the above picture, the base next to the head of the shovel and the stone itself behind it.
The above picture shows Jim “casing out” the job before us. It was not as easy as it appeared, due to the weight of the stone and the age of the participants in this effort! All we had to do was upright the stone and set it on the base.
With the digging bar in hand holding up the headstone, Jim takes a break. At this point I went looking for some stones and bricks to prop up the headstone as he lifted with the digging bar.
With Mary’s stone sitting on it’s base, the bricks and stones we used to help prop it up are visible in the space it vacated. As Jim lifted a little more, I stuck another brick under the stone, on top of another brick. It was a hard job for Linda and a much harder job for Jim! However at this point our job was almost complete!
With Mary’s stone in it’s rightful place, we have started with our mission! It’s one step towards straightening up Section E, site 7 at Woodward Hill Cemetery, and I’ll keep blogging about our progress as we continue on our journey.
Mary has been put back in her place.
What a story!! That could be the basis of a book. You are so lucky to have a husband like Jim!! You are my idol.