St. Peter man spends spare time cleaning gravestones to keep memories alive
By photojournalist Nick Lunemann
ST. PETER, Minn. — A southwest Minnesota man is donating his time and skills to provide a service that most of us didn't know needed to be done.
As part of his morning routine, Jared Mlaker spends the time preserving gravestones ravaged by time at Woodlawn Cemetery in St. Peter.
"I just walk through the cemetery and wherever you see stones to clean you just start," Mlaker said. "A lot of these people don't have families around here anymore, so in maybe 10 years, if one of their relatives comes looking for them, they'll be able to actually see the stone and actually be able to read the names and not just wander around the cemetery, just looking and never finding."
The St. Peter native has his process to safely and effectivley clean headstones — a process that dates back to the turn of the century.
It's not just about cleaning the headstones as much as it is about finding them and making sure they remain seen, so they are not lost to nature.
"For me, that's what it's about," Mlaker said.
After seeing the state of his own family's stones, he decided to volunteer his time to clean others.
"That's when I kind of figured out that people don't clean the stones. I thought it was just kind of a thing, but I guess it's not," he said.
A thankless act, ensuring all those resting at the cemetery are seen as their loved ones intended.
"It's a never-ending job, too," Mlaker said. "Try to keep their memory alive for another 100 years or more. Try to save as many as I can."
