When the story first appeared last spring, Dawn Bulechek and the Deer Creek Ramblers 4-H Club had …

By Mary Marek

When the story first appeared last spring, Dawn Bulechek and the Deer Creek Ramblers 4-H Club had just begun what, at times, seemed an insurmountable task. They planned to clean up and repair the Wertz Family Cemetery, a small graveyard located in the middle of a farm field north of Iowa Mennonite School.

When Bob Bulechek, Dawn’s father first discovered the cemetery, cows were grazing between the gravestones, many of which were broken and laying on the ground.

Dawn researched the cemetery and discovered that one of her ancestors was buried there. This was all the incentive she needed to take on the project. With the help of her 4-H club, her father, and Sam Miller, another descendent of the Wertz family, Dawn went to work.

The group met in the cemetery May 1 to cut the weeds and move the headstones to one side. The plan was to level the dirt, reset the stones, sow grass seed and erect a white three-rail fence around the cemetery. Dawn hoped to have the job completed well before fair time in late July, when she planned to present the accomplishment as a 4-H project.

When her father suffered a stroke early this summer the project was put on hold for a while. Except for new grass, though, Dawn’s project will be completed with days to spare before the Johnson County 4-H Fair begins next week.

Bulechek, who has recovered from his illness, spent Friday, July 9, on his Bobcat, moving headstones out of the way and leveling the ground. Saturday, July 10, a group of people gathered to measure and reset the stones.

Vern Griffin, Hills, and Sam Watkins, Kalona, owners of GW Concrete, and Steve Eldridge, an employee, donated their time, equipment and expertise to help the Ramblers with the project. After first measuring and marking each grave site with a flag, holes were dug and cement was poured under each stone. The resulting cement piers will ensure the stones do not move as the ground freezes and thaws with the changing seasons.

The men of GW Concrete are quite adept at resetting headstones. They are subcontractors for Miller Brothers Monuments in Iowa City and they’ve had a lot of experience repairing storm damage and doing other cemetery repairs all over eastern Iowa. At the present they are in the middle of redoing the Tipton cemetery.

By the end of the day, the previously ragged rows of stones were lined up with almost military precision, each one standing straight and tall.

Friday, July 16, the group gathered one more time in the cemetery on the hill, this time to finally erect the new fence.

Sam Miller arranged purchase of the fence from Perry Bontrager of Kalona, who not only sold the fence at a discount for the project, but also delivered it Friday afternoon and stayed to help erect it.

Except for new grass, which will be sown in a few weeks, the Wertz Family Cemetery has been brought back to life thanks to the efforts of Dawn Bulechek and the Deer Creek Ramblers.

So far, all the work that has been done in the cemetery has been paid for by donations. Sam Miller and his wife sent letters to many Wertz descendants, who responded well to their plea for financial assistance. Funds are still needed, though. Dawn is hopeful of raising enough money to buy headstones for two unmarked graves. If you would like to donate to the effort, Sam Miller may be reached at 319-351-7780, or call Dawn Bulechek at 319-683-2894.