About the Cemetery
A non-profit community cemetery, cared for by its trustees and the families connected to it.
Who we are
Oakhaven Cemetery is a non-profit cemetery association, established in 1854 and held in trust for the community it serves. We are not a business and we have no owners. The cemetery belongs, in the truest sense, to the families buried here and to those who will be.
Our work is simple to describe and never finished: to keep the grounds with dignity, to keep the records accurately, and to make this a place where any family is glad to walk.
How we are governed
The cemetery is overseen by a volunteer Board of Trustees, elected by the membership of the Association at its annual meeting. The trustees set the rules, manage the care fund, approve burials and plot allocations, and answer to the community for the condition of the grounds.
The board meets quarterly, and its meetings are open. Minutes and the annual report are published in our resource library for anyone who wishes to read them.
How the grounds are kept
The grounds are kept by the cemetery's sexton and a body of volunteers, supported by a care fund built from gifts and bequests. Families are welcome — and encouraged — to tend their own plots; the trustees care for the common ground, the trees, the walls and the paths.
Twice a year the whole community is invited to a volunteer work day. It is, by long tradition, as much a gathering as a chore.
A place for everyone connected to it
Eligibility for burial extends to residents of the community and their families, however far they may have moved. If you have a question about whether your family qualifies, the trustees would be glad to talk it through with you — please get in touch.