MARFA — The Marfa Cemetery Association, a reinvigorated friends group, is seeking to beautify the historically-rich graveyard for the deceased, their loved ones and the public.
Marfa’s three cemeteries — the Marfa Cemetery, Cementerio de la Merced and the Catholic Cemetery — are all located on adjacent hilly lots on the west side of town. They are divided by fences, and by race; the Marfa Cemetery is the predominantly white cemetery while the other two are predominantly Hispanic.
The Marfa Cemetery, described in a 2014 Marfa Public Radio article as “full of well-groomed, grassy plots,” has since succumbed to the harsh desert environment in the absence of a caretaker and routine watering. Dirt is easily picked up by wind, and established trees have died.
Marfa Cemetery Association President Kim Bedell points out that even the cedar trees, whose taproots reach well below the surface, are yellowing. She said when those that have left the area return to bury their family members they are “shocked” at the condition of the site. Flags commemorating veterans’ graves are “whipped and torn,” and some headstones appear neglected, slumping to one side or nearly fully covered by tumbleweeds and brush.
“We want it to have a more peaceful and tranquil feeling than what it is right now,” Bedell said. “It’s just dirt. There’s no grass left.”
The cemetery was incorporated in the ‘50s, and this month the association elected four new officers to help improve the burial ground’s appearance.
“We’re excited to have that place looking better, and that’s our goal, is to redo, refurb and get it back on track of being more of a cared-for cemetery,” Bedell said.
Water was recently shut off after several pipes burst in a freeze and started leaking — a key issue that will have to be addressed swiftly, Bedell said. Also on the association’s to-do list is to hire a new caretaker, get bids from landscape architects, remove dead trees, add benches and, perhaps of utmost importance, fundraise. Bedell said the group would like to engage Marfa’s younger population to assist, and is open to the possibility of collaborating with the other two cemeteries on beautification projects.
“We really want to work together with them,” Bedell said. “We want it all to look like a beautiful parkside hill.”
Bedell said the Cementerio de la Merced, in particular, is better maintained. The Merced Cemetery Association has recently experienced the passing of members Armando Garcia and David Chavez but is still moving forward and doing well, member Consuelo Chavez said.
Bedell said a total of 1,600 plots at the Marfa Cemetery are full, including those that have been purchased in advance, like hers. She plans to be buried at the cemetery, along with her late husband and his parents. Bedell and her husband were in the process of looking into cemetery updates when he passed away suddenly.
“It’s just given me even more steam to get that place looking halfway nice,” Bedell said.
On Monday afternoon she visited her family plots at the Marfa Cemetery, emptying two plastic water bottles onto a volunteer Texas sage bush in between her in-laws’ graves. The Bedell family plots are located in the newer, and smaller, part of the cemetery which is currently barren with no landscaping. The older section’s graves, including that of William Edward Russell, whose final resting place is commemorated by a Texas Historic Commission placard, date back to at least the late 1800s.
In a “pauper’s corner” on the far side of the cemetery, two friends who were once staples of the community lie side by side, one marker reading, “Granison Chaney, 1893-1972, loyal citizen,” and the other, “George Livingston, 1901-1974, Paisano Hotel chef.”
Bedell said the association would like to designate the old and new sections with formal signage and fix up a small brick building on the site, adding maps and benches so people can locate their loved ones’ graves and shelter from the sun. She said they want to restore a sense of pride and dignity to the Marfa Cemetery for all interred individuals, including those that lack regular visitors.
“We definitely don’t want to do just mine or yours,” Bedell said. “We want to do everyone’s and step in for those families that aren’t here anymore.”
If you would like to get involved with the Marfa Cemetery Association, join the Marfa Cemetery Friends group on Facebook, email marfacemetery@gmail.com, call Bedell at 903-327-2843, or keep an eye out for meeting notices in The Big Bend Sentinel.