Charlotte Ramsey and David Brannon

Vestal Johnson

Linda Hatcher and her father, Doyle Counts.

Bayou Meto Cemetery Association Newsletter
Jacksonville, Arkansas
April 15, 2005

Commissioners:
Jack Boyd
David Brannon
Al Dodson
Jim Douglass
John Douglass
Lois Clifton
Ruby Hudson
Vestal Johnson
Virgil Lamb
George Taylor
Larry Wilson


Dear Friends of the Cemetery,
Decoration Day at Bayou Cemetery was held Sunday, May 1, 2005. Volunteers were available to accept contributions for cemetery maintenance. If you would prefer to mail a contribution, please use the following address:

Bayou Meto Cemetery Association
c/o First Arkansas Bank & Trust
Attn: Larry Wilson
PO Box 827
Jacksonville, Ar. 72078


Plans for the Future
Complete Fencing
Pavilion
New brick corner posts
French drain at NE section
Historian to work with David Brannon

Current Business
The Bayou Meto Cemetery Commission, as a courtesy, will help the plot/lot owners located their grave site before interment. David Brannon is the initial contact and will be glad to assist you with locating your site. Please remember that board members donate their time and due to vacations, may not always be available. A list of board members is attached so that you can reach them in a timely manner.

Flowers: The Cemetery welcomes the flowers that you place on your loved ones' graves. It is requested that you place them in such a manner that they do impair the mowing and maintenance of the grounds (in vases on the stone) or saddles on to of the stone.) We have had numerous complaints that flowers are missing from loved ones graves. Wind is the primary culprit, and the flowers end up along the back fence. If you put the loved ones' name on the flower arrangement, we can return it to the proper grave.

Cemetery Spaces for Sale: A few spaces have been turned back to the Cemetery for sale. Some have already been sold, a few remain. If you are interested in the purchase of a space, contact Vestal Johnson. If you have spaces that you do not intend to use, please consider donating them to the Cemetery. Proceeds from the resale go toward maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery.

New Burial Regulations: The following two (2) Cemetery regulations were adopted in 2004 by the Cemetery Board.

(1) All future burials must be made in a sealed vault outer container. Arrangements are made through your funeral home.

(2) After July 1, 2004, all future burials that do not have an existing permanent marker (tombstone) will require a $200 deposit. This deposit is fully refundable if a tombstone is in place with (6) months from the date of burial. If a tombstone is not in place in six (6) months, the deposit will be used to purchase and install a Memorial Marker. A check is to be made payable to the Bayou Meto Cemetery Association Memorial Fund and given to the Funeral Home conducting the services. The Funeral Home will then forward the check to our Bank.

Contributions: We are trying to make many improvements in this very old and historic site in Jacksonville. This is the final resting place for many of those before us and maybe the resting place for many of us. A large number of those who have been loyal contributors to the Cemetery have passed on, and funds have become a problem. We depend on your contributions for maintenance and upkeep.  Several improvements are needed - if only funds were available. As of April 6, 2005, we have held seven funerals compared to a total of 25 in 2004. Please donate generously. It would be to your advantage to know more about cemetery operations. We encourage you to get involved.