Possum Jahnel asked county commissioners this month to consider expanding Edith Ford Memorial Cemetery, suggesting that it was time to have newly-purchased property adjacent to the cemetery surveyed.

Jahnel is the administrator of the Hemphill County Cemetery Association board, which helps with the governing, planning, and upkeep of the cemetery property here in Canadian. In a recent meeting, the board reviewed lot policy, guidelines for the new addition, and interest in a cremation garden.

The original plan for the new propertylocated to the east of the original cemeterywas not to open it to new grave sites until more of the existing lots were sold. While there are still over 150 lots available in the cemetery, Jahnel told commissioners, “I do know people who come in for their family and buy up a block. Then, they go pretty quickly.”

Jahnel, who also works for Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors here in Canadian, said there has been new interest in plots for cremation burial. “At this point, we encourage the family to put cremains on the family lot that they have,” she said. “But there is a rise in cremation. Not everyone has family here, but they still want a memorial.”

Jahnel presented a drawing of a cremation burial site that could be located in a sandier part of the cemetery, which does not lend itself to casket burial. “There is a clay layer of about 18 inches,” she explained. “Once below that, you have sugar sand. It caves in.”

“I propose we do cremation burial there,” she said. “That way, we are using the land productively.”

Jahnel said smaller 3-by-3 foot cremation plots could be sold. “If they use a vault, it would fit in that size, and two urns could be placed in that,” she said. She also proposed the possibility of erecting a short wall around the perimeter, where colorful memorial plaques could be mounted.

Jahnel also advised the court of the need for new appointments to the cemetery association board, some of whose members have moved, or are aging or in poor health, and would like to step down. She also noted her interest in finding someone to do what she does, which includes selling cemetery lots and keeping records.

“When I started,” she said, “I worked for Stickley Hill. We kept records in ledger books.” Today, she said, records are kept in an Xcel spreadsheets, she said, but often require multiple entries, increasing the error factor.

Jahnel said she has sought the help of a friend who works with computers, and may be able to help consolidate those tasks in a different program. She also suggested that, rather than pay her a commission for sales and a fee for marking lots, Carmichael-Whatley take over that job. “Brad Pingel and I propose that if the funeral home takes over sales, that commission can go away,” she said. “He’s not interested in it, and I’m not interested...especially if I’m not keeping records.”

Judge George Briant said his office could probably take over the deeds and record-keeping. Commissioners agreed to make plans for expansion of the cemetery, and to look into the costs of surveying the area, laying out and sealcoating streets, and putting fence around the property, as well as gathering more information about a cremation garden.

Briant said he could cover some of those costs out of the county’s reserves. Commissioner Tim Alexander also suggested budgeting funds for capital improvements to the cemetery. McPherson agreed to explore cemetery expansion costs with Briant and Jahnel, adding, “This is a worthwhile project. There’s no need to procrastinate.”

The court also discussed the possibility of raising the price of cemetery lots, and Jahnel agreed to do a survey of area cemetery rates. “Ours haven’t been raised since the late 90s or early 2000,” she said. “I suspect we’re on the lower end.”