Volunteer board members who operate Ocean Park Cemetery are celebrating the latest efforts at improving the Peninsula landmark.

They have installed a white wooden fence along the northern border of the property at 2118 260th St. in Ocean Park.

Cris Wiegardt, president of the board, commended their contractor, Tim Smith, for his zeal and creativity in getting the job done.

“He was great,” Wiegardt said. “I think it looks pretty good!”

Wiegardt and his sister Liz Wiegardt Egel, who lives in Petaluma, California, jointly decided they wanted to use some of their inheritance from their late mother, Carole, the long-time postmaster of Nahcotta.

Pull Quote

‘I think it looks pretty good!’

Cris Wiegardt, OP Cemetery Board president

“I wanted to do something nice for the cemetery and we agreed on matching each other’s $1,000,” he said.

The older galvanized fence was decaying and 230 feet needed to be repaired. “It didn’t look very nice.”

They wanted to reuse a portion, but discovered that the spacing between metal posts was 10.5 feet. The wooden boards were either 10-foot or 12-foot lengths, so Smith staggered the boards on top of each other. “It gave us a nice look,” Wiegardt said.

There were other challenges, including waiting for the weather to improve. “It was nice in parts of December and January, then we had snow, and it was icy and we had rain,” he added. “It made the project longer.”

“Yes, we got ready to do it and it was the dead of winter,” Smith laughed. “Then Punxsutawney Phil said we were going to have six more weeks of it!”

He painted all the boards white in his shop. When the weather brightens later this year he promises another coat of paint. “They are caulked, so there will be no rot,” he said.

The cemetery has about 800 graves and includes Long Beach Peninsula pioneers. The Wiegardts are fourth generation.

The board works year-round on the upkeep, but relies entirely on donations. Contributions come from far away, as well as local supporters.

“There are a lot of pioneer families represented, and even though their descendants are not here anymore they still care about it,” Wiegardt said.

Marilyn Sheldon, a board member, thanked everyone who contributed to cover the $2,400 price tag. “Usually we keep things up with expenses for insurance and mowing. We used ‘targeted donations’ to do this.”

She hopes the community will view the cemetery now that the new fence is installed. Local veterans groups perform rites on Memorial Day (details will be announced). “We invite people to come and see it,” she added.

Donations may be mailed to P.O. Box 1001 in Ocean Park, WA 98640.

If You Go

Ocean Park Cemetery

2118 260th St., Ocean Park

Mailing address for donations: PO Box 1001, Ocean Park WA 98640