ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Ahead of Memorial Day, a group of volunteers in Royal Oak is planning to clean off the grave sites of veterans who have passed on.
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It’s a part of the annual volunteer effort at Oak View Cemetery on Main Street, just off of Catalpa Dr. and Rochester Rd. The cleanup has been ongoing for more than 20 years now.
"Sometimes a grave marker is so embedded in the ground or sunken or tilted that it takes sometimes a half an hour to trim around the headstone. Other times, I can take an electric trimmer and trim around it and be done in a couple minutes and sweep it off," said Sue Fabian, who is leading the volunteer effort.
Fabian's mother and father are buried in the cemetery. Her father, a WWII veteran who served as a cook in Italy and Africa, died at 48 years old following a battle with cancer.
"I don’t have any memories of my dad, and so this is a way of saying 'Hey, Dad. I recognize your service and doing this for you and all the other veterans in the cemetery," said Fabian.
Fabian says she's now working to keep her father and other veterans' names and stories alive and their graves preserved with dignity. Fabian says there's 2,000-3,000 veteran grave sites in the Oak View Cemetery.
"It means a lot to me. These are people, men and women, who, some of them, sacrificed their lives, and I know that tends to be an overdone expression, but think about it. They put their lives on the line. How many of us ever do that for any cause? That is an exceptional character to have, and they ought to be remembered," said Fabian.
The clean-up is set to take place over the course of two Saturdays: May 2nd and May 9th, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers do not need to sign up prior to showing up.
"We’re here. We are the keepers of the graves now, and veterans deserve this," said Fabian.
After they’re cleared, each veteran’s grave will be adorned with an American flag ahead of Memorial Day.
The event is set to take place rain or shine. Fabian says the cleanup will only be canceled if there's severe weather. Community members interested in helping can meet at the pond at the front of the cemetery at the event start time.
