Dear Editor,

My name is Dwane Falkner, and I have several related families that are buried in the Old Sterrett Cemetery in Sterrett.

In the last two to three years I have witnessed a declining care of the cemetery other than keeping the grass mowed. There have been several markers completely destroyed and removed from the cemetery. Some large and small markers are toppled over and have weeds walking and running over them. Several are just nearly covered by leaf debris and dirt.

I know in the 1970s, when I became interested in my family and relatives and went there to see their gravesites, Old Sterrett Cemetery was a beautiful, nicely kept little cemetery. There were several more nicely marked gravesites.

What I am asking for is help from some of the living relatives of the people buried in this old cemetery to help organize and get more help to get the cemetery back to a state of presentation that will let other people know we are proud of who we are and where we came from. I’d like to ask anyone interested to help me get a group of concerned people together to keep the Old Sterrett Cemetery presentable.

Families that have been identified by markers being there or by old family history records are: Abbott, Baugh, Bilbrey, Byers, Cummings, Dickerson, Dimon, Dyke, Falkner, Glass, Goodwin, Hollis, Jarrett, Johnson, Kincaid, Moore, Mundine, Nunnely, O’Barr, Perry, Rudd, Skinner, Snow, Spradley, Stracener, Turner, Vick, Walton, White, Williams and several marked with only a stone and others that are not marked in any form or fashion.

I have one or two people that help as much as they possibly can, along with Glenn Nivens and Ms. Racheal Clinkscales, both of whom are trying to get the cemetery on the Historical Society list if possible.

Along with this help I still would like anyone that can volunteer time or money to help us clean up and keep the Old Sterrett Cemetery a place of memories of the people who years ago were part of the history and culture of Sterrett, not to mention the men buried there that fought in wars to help us be who we are today.

Please contact me by phone at 640-6207 or by e-mail at dfalkner35@aol.com to let me know anything else I can or should do, or volunteer your valued time or finances. Any contribution will be deeply appreciated.