Leavenworth County
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High Prairie Twp, Leavenworth County
From the collections at the Leavenworth County Historical Society and Museum. Reprinted with permission from The Leavenworth County Historical Society and Museum and the Leavenworth Times. Donated by Debra Graden.
Leavenworth Times, Sunday June 5, 1988
Looking out at the grounds of Sunset Memory Gardens, the eye travels over gentle slopes, broken only by flowers and peaceful statuary. Caretakers George and Lee Rae say the garden-style cemetery is reflective of today's traditions, but the age-old respect for the dead remains.
"There are none of those cold headstones sticking out," Rae said last week. "When you stand here and look across the grounds, all you see are flowers and more flowers, even in the winter."
Flowers were at most of the gravesites last week. Rae recalled several of the larger funerals as he walked through the cemetery, section by section. The ones touching his heart most often are the ones for children.
"I remember a little three-year-old girl that was killed in her back yard in an accident. Her parents were so shaken as was everyone out here at the cemetery that day. It's the funerals of the younger people that stand out in my mind as being the hardest."
Two recent visitors had stopped off at the cemetery office, Mrs. Rae said, complementing the pair on the work they had done on the grounds.
"They said it was one of the prettiest cemeteries they had even seen. That means a lot to both of us because we take a lot of pride in keeping it up. We live out here and most of our time is spent making sure it's cared for properly."
Rae is a native of Scotland. He and his wife, a native of St. Joseph, Mo., have been involved with Sunset Memory Gardens since 1984. Rae says Wilton "Monty" LaMontaine started the 29-acre cemetery in 1956 and Clara A. Shott was the first burial Jan. 29 of that year. Since that time, 1170 burials have taken place in the 10 acres under development.
"The weather has been bad on us this year. The ground is dry and we have lost some trees, but it still looks good. It's a constant job to keep the place going," he says.
The cemetery is divided into the Christa, devotions and veterans sections. The latter section includes two plaques dedicated by the Bryon H. Mehl Post No. 23 American Legion.
Rae says the lawn cripts in the devotion section are especially popular in today's burials. Husband and wife are buried in the same lot, one on top of the other, and the sites were prepared when the section was constructed, allowing easy access to the grounds.
The caretakes express concern about the highway curve in front of the cemetery. During larger funerals, cars are parked alongside the highway and the curve cuts down on visibility.
"One time we saw a man come around that curve really fast and there was a car turning into the cemetery. He had to go into the ditch in order to avoid a collision. That concerns us."
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