To the Editor:

Hey out there in the land of the living, I need a little help! Let me introduce myself. I’m the Thompsons Lake Rural Cemetery. I’m tucked into a cozy corner at the south end of Thompsons Lake, right where State Route 157 intersects with Thacher Park Road, just across from the Thompsons Lake Reformed Church. 

I’m 200 years old! Wow! A part of me, known as the Old Burying Ground, is even older than that.

Over the last two centuries it has been my privilege to provide a peaceful final resting place for the loved ones of people who live, work, and play in and around the area. 

And, in turn, I’ve always had the good fortune to find a handful of volunteers to tend to my needs — cutting my grass, trimming the brush that grow along my roadway, pulling weeds, raising gravestones that have toppled over, maintaining a record of folks who are buried here, selling plots so that others may rest serenely when their time comes. 

By the way, I have plenty of pleasant plots available at very reasonable prices. Call Don VanHoesen at 326-1549 to get the details.

Here’s the problem. The volunteers who currently care for me need a bit of help. They’re old! Some have moved away. Some have passed on. 

So, if you own a shovel or a rake and like sunshine, and fresh air, or if you like delving into history’s mysteries, and have a day or two to spare, join the cemetery trustees at the Thomspons Lake Reformed Church at 7 p.m. on May 1. 

I promise you interesting conversation, and, of course, coffee and cookies. Call Pat Ware at 326-1549, Lora Ricketts at 872-1691, or Shirley Salisbury at 673-5711 for more information.

Patricia Ward

Troy

Editor’s note: Patricia Ward is the secretary treasurer of the Thompson’s Lake Rural Cemetery Association. Her husband, Don VanHoesen, is the caretaker of the cemetery.