Norman Woods and some of his children (Terri Rezac, Cheryl Smith, Julie Dennis, Frank Woods, Steve Woods, and Dana Woods) recently met with members of the Wagner Cemetery Association to make a monetary donation in the amount of $3600 for improvements to the Wagner Cemetery. With the news of the recent reorganization of the Wagner Cemetery Board, the Woods family felt moved to make this donation in honor of Norman. In turn Norman Woods has chosen to make this donation in memory of his ancestors and relatives. These include: Thomas & Mary (Sadler) Hawkey and descendants (Norman’s Great Grandparents), Newton & Nora (Hawkey Dunsmore and descendants (Norman’s Grandparents), and Orville & M. Edna (Dunsmore) Woods (Norman’s Parents).

Norman’s family shared some interesting history about his Great Grandfather Thomas Hawkey and how in 1879 he came to homestead in Dakota Territory in western Bon Homme County living the pioneer life on the prairie in sod houses. He later came to Charles Mix County in 1895 and settled on a farm five miles southwest of Wagner. Mr. Hawkey was an advocate of division of the Dakota Territory into two states and the subsequent fight for statehood. Upon Thomas Hawkey’s death in 1942, he was the oldest Wagner citizen at the age of 95. A sturdy pioneer that lived a span of years that too few attained at that time, he was laid to rest in the Wagner Cemetery.

The Wagner Cemetery Board is humbled to receive this generous gift in honor of Norman Woods. Gifts to the cemetery of this nature allow the volunteer board the opportunity to preserve the history of the ancestors who have gone before us and uphold the sacred resting place of our beloved family members. Some of the planned improvements that will be possible with this gift are: blading and gravel of the roads through the cemetery, grass seed and reseeding of drowned out and poor grass areas, and also the resetting of some monuments that are settling and tipping.

The Wagner Cemetery Board has been meeting regularly as we make plans for the spring and summer months to make some necessary upgrades to the Wagner Cemetery. We appreciate the support of the community as we work toward beautifying and upkeep of the cemetery. We, the board welcome ideas that you might have or if you’d like to talk with one of the board members about our planned projects please give us a call. Board members are: Mike Medricky, Chad Peters, Patty Frei, Linda Youngbluth, Dave Robertson, Todd Johannsen, and Melissa Zacharias. On behalf of the Wagner Cemetery Board we appreciate the Woods family for their generous gift, and we would like to invite the community to join us for our planned cleanup day May 2 from 12:00-3:00 pm where your donation of your time is welcomed.