Cemetery operator laments lack of volunteers to place flags at Mon Valley Memorial Park

Operators of the Mon Valley Memorial Park Cemetery were unable to find enough volunteers to place flags Thursday at the gravesites of 2,000 veterans.

The cemetery in Donora, Washington County, is one of 26 cemeteries in five states owned by Life Remembered.

The director of administrative support at Life Remembered, Tina Wilhelm, says Mon Valley Memorial Park operators have had trouble finding volunteers to place flags for the past four years.

“Out of all of our cemeteries, I never have issues with getting volunteers,” Wilhelm said. On Wednesday, for example, local Scouts and staff from Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield helped put up about 4,000 flags at Westmoreland County Memorial Park in Hempfield, which also is operated by Life Remembered.

“Live Casino Pittsburgh wants to do its part to recognize the bravery and sacrifice of the outstanding men and women who served in all branches of the U.S. military,” said Bryan Prettyman, the casino’s vice president of slots and marketing.

Wilhelm said she posted about a need for volunteers at the Donora cemetery on Facebook, but no one responded.

Lori Hixenbaugh, the administrator at the Mon Valley Memorial Park Cemetery, said she searched for volunteers at the American Legion, churches and Scout groups.

“You get a lot of ‘we’ll get back to you, we’ll get back to you…’ and they never do,” Hixenbaugh said.

Hixenbaugh is the only administrator in the office, and has worked with 78-year-old Ron Janney, head of the Washington County Veterans Affairs office, to organize the Memorial Day ceremony taking place on Sunday.

Janney also is having difficulty in finding people to lead the ceremony. He is still looking for a singer to perform the national anthem on Sunday, and Janney and his wife are organizing the dinner that is served afterward.

“I understand, and we all understand, that people have busy lives now,” Hixenbaugh said. “But these people deserve to be honored.”

Seven staff members from Life Remembered and volunteers from St. Sebastian’s church in Belle Vernon were expected to begin putting up flags at the Donora cemetery about 10 a.m. Thursday, but Wilhelm and Hixenbaugh weren’t expecting more than 10-15 people.

“We’re committed to making sure that our veterans are honored, and if it ends up that we all have to take that day to honor them, we don’t mind,” Hixenbaugh said.