The only things broader than the weedeater-cutting swaths at Willow Wild Cemetery on Saturday, October 20, were the purple-shirted smiles that fueled their energy.  A cemetery since 1878, Willow Wild enjoyed several firsts on Saturday:  first year of participation in Bonham’s Great Days of Service and first ever Dinner on the Ground.

From 9:00 a.m. until 12 noon, 120 people filled 165 trash bags with trash, faded flowers, and grass clippings.  As hundreds of headstones were uncovered and rescued from unsightly weeds, community helpers began piecing together the history of generations past.  No stone was left unlearned.

At 1:00 p.m., the whirring motors quieted, the last twig was bundled, and the 200th flag was placed on a grave that had military distinction.  Charlotte Watson, board member of the newly-created Willow Wild Cemetery Association, welcomed the crowd and commended the effort, love, and dedication of the many people who rose to the occasion for Willow Wild.  Following status remarks of the cemetery conversion and the invocation by Bill Terry, attorney for the newly-created Association, families gathered to enjoy Parker McComas’s pecan-smoked brisket sandwiches and potluck side dishes.

Mike Southerland whimsically traced a fictional old timer’s recollection of family names and the public’s perception of their reputations through the years, as told by a young boy at the foot of a seasoned gent.  Lanny Joe Burnett sang an original song about Willow Wild, accompanied by Royce Smithey on the guitar.

Once the cemetery transfer from the Masons and Oddfellows to Willow Wild Cemetery Association is official, the forward focus of maintenance and enhancement will ensure that families’ loved ones will not lie down in green PASTURES.

cindybaker@cableone.net

It was a family affair as parents and children experienced Bonham’s Great Days of Service. Many from the local Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints church were eager to make our cemetery an attractive part of our community.

Jason Walker brought pole trimmers and a chain saw to cut back foliage and create a more mower-friendly cemetery.

Since her son Billy was killed in 1968 in Viet Nam, 93-year-old Iva Loy Bowen has tended to his grave through lush years and droughts. With a lawn chair to cradle her and a hoe in her hand, Mrs. Bowen was a dynamic, yet heart-tugging, force during Bonham’s Great Days of Service.

The Pratt sister team donned gloves and engaged rakes and hoes to enhance their family’s plot.

Bill Terry, attorney for the newly-formed Willow Wild Cemetery Association, spent Saturday morning trimming around headstones in the oldest section of the cemetery. Few descendants are left to give special attention to the generations laid to rest during the early years of Willow Wild.

Sisters Kathy (Baugh) Walker and Sharon (Baugh) Jacobs pause for the camera before spending untold minutes retrieving Kathy’s drawstring from the leaf blower motor.

Lanny Joe Burnett and Sheryn Jones hitch a ride on the back of the gator as they pick up filled trash bags from the side roads. Glenn Taylor and Bob Fuhrman hauled 130 bags of trash, with another 35 hauled later.

Dinner on the Ground was a special opportunity to enjoy the real benefit of a cemetery homecoming---fellowship. Jimmy Adams and Charlotte Watson shared a hug that had roots dating back to high school days.