The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

16 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, February 7, 1989 Pine Grove Cemetery was started in 1862 Most people don't think about cemeteries until they have to bury a loved one. And for precisely that reason, a lot of people don't know any- thing about how cemeteries are operated, who looks after them, or even what arrangements have to be made when the time comes. Pine Grove Cemetery in Prince Albert may be a good ex- ample. Do you know it has been there for nearly 130 years, that it is owned by those who hold deeds to the thousands of plots, is oper- ated as an incorporated company with a board of directors who hold one general meeting annually which is open to the public and plot owners? "There are a lot of people who have no idea how to handle things when a death does occur," said Fred Christie in an interview last week. Mr. Christie, the well known Prince Albert farmer, has been president of the Cemetery Board for the last 28 years. His father, Grant was President for 20 years prior to that. But Fred has decided it's time to step down as President and at the annual meeting late last month, he turned the job over to Earle Geer, a 12 year veteran of the Board. "I just decided it was time to step down, no particular reason," said Mr. Christie, adding that he is staying on as a Board member. ¢ other Board members are Ralph Honey, Doug McMillan, Alex Williamson and secretary- treasurer Glenn Wanamaker. Don Ray is employed va caretaker for ce grounds. The Pine Grove Cemetary was opened in 1862, and today, there are several thousand people buried there. For the past few years, the Cemetery has had about 60 burials annually. According to Mr. Christie, there is presently no danger of the Cemetery running out of space "in the forsecable future," but the Board recently purchased a .75 acre parcel of adjoining land along the cast boundary, and the Board has started preliminary negotiations to purchase another parcel of about two acres. While a lot of people may not want to think about cemeteries the practise of pre-purchasing plots is something that more and more people are doing. ~ A single plot, three feet by ten feet, costs $300, while a dou- ble (six by ten) for husband and wife, costs $600. Larger plots for more family members can also be purchased. That cost includes perpetual care of the grave site, but the cost of interment (opening and closing the grave) is an additional $250. The Provincial Cemeteries Act relies that 35 per cent of the cost of the plots be deposited in a trust fund for perpetual care. The Cemetery Board cannot use the principal of this fund, but it receives the interest on an annu- al basis, which is used for the maintenance and up-keep of the grounds. As well as grave sites, smaller lots for burial of urns and ashes ollowing cremation can be pur- chased for $150. Some cemeteries provide "scattering grounds" where ashes or cremains can be scattered for a fee, and the urn then sealed in a wall with an appropriate marker. Mr. Christie and Mr. Geer agree that the pre-purchase and se- lection of plots in the cemetery makes one less thing a family must worry about when there is a And as well, they say, some people want to pick out the spot that will be the final resting place for themselves and other family members. : The Pine Grove Cemetery Board is believed to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, continu- ous organization in this commu- nity. Originally, there were 32 shar- cholders who raised about $500 through sale of shares at $5 each. The records of the annual meetings since are contained in a book in the careful care of the sec- retary-treasurer. While it may be among the oldest organizations in the com- munity, the Pine Grove Cemetery Board may be one of the least known. The annual meetings are seldom attended by anyone other than the secretary-treasurer and the At the meeting last month, the directors drew up a letter of ap- preciation for the 28 years Mr. Christie served as President. Directors receive an honorari- um for serving on the Board, but that has only been in the last few years. . , After 28 years as president of the Board of Pine Grove 'Cemetery in Prince - ol ant 8 Albert, Fred Christie (right) Is stepping down. But he'll be staying on as a Board member. Earle Geer (centre) has taken over the President's dutles on the Board. at left Is Pine Grove secretary-treasurer Glenn Wanamaker. Pine Grove has been operated as a cemetery since 1862. Most people (naturally) don't like to think much about cemeteries. (see article for information about Pine Grove) Pine Grove, as an incorporated organization, is one of four differ- ent kinds of cemeteries in this province. There are cemeteries owned by a church, owned by a municipali- ty, or privately owned as profit- making ventures. All come under the jurisdic- tion of the Ministry of Commer- cial and Corporate Relations (Ce- meteries Branch) and of course, the Cemeteries Act of the prov- ince. SOL CABINETHAK 3 NE a: EST. 1973 MAKERS OF: PAINTED PINE or NATURAL PINE REPRODUCTIONS and OAK FURNITURE REMINISCENT OF YEARS GONE BY CUSTOM WORK WELCOMED: Come in soon, browse through our showrooms; see and feel the warmth of COUNTRY PINE R.R. 2, UXBRIDGE - SANDY HOOK RD. ~~ (416) 852-3617 1 1/2 km. north of corners of Brock St. & Main St. Tues.-Sat. 9:30 - 5:30 PORT PERRY PLAZA 985.8054 CAN JOIN FOR THE PRICE OF WINTER HOURS: Monday to Friday 8 to 8 PM; Saturday & Sunday Noon to 6 PM." ? -- valentine's day special -- -- ATTENTION -- Senior Citizens inquire about our 20% DISCOUNT with your DRY CLEANING ORDER at PORT CLEANERS 255 QUEEN ST., PORT PERRY 985-7651 We've staked our claim to fame! BION hl ® ort ren 989-8448 FREE DELIVERY (in town only)