Veterans Day Memorial Service held at Calumet Park Mausoleum at 11:00 am on the 11th day of the 11th month…

Rob Poortenga with the riderless horse honoring fallen soldiers

 

Paul Vogel II opening the veteran memorial service with a prayer

Brant Vogel sang two sentimental songs relative to the event

Pat O’Donnell served as keynote speaker

 

Honor Guard from DOD

Daniel Moran’s closing remarks

Gun salute

Daniel Moran’s closing remarks

                                                           What does it mean to be a veteran?

(written by Daniel Moran and an unknown author from internet)

A veteran is someone who has experience in the military, and quite often, in war.  But that does not tell the whole story.  Sometimes being a veteran has a greater meaning than someone who once wore a uniform.

The politics behind America’s military may be debatable at times, but the common thread of a veteran is the sheer guts it takes to hand a blank check over to the government for the amount up to and including their very life.

Many veterans will make light of their willingness to put themselves in harms way, and will joke that combat is the most exciting thing you can do.  Others will rightly testify that it’s the most terrifying and horrifying thing a person can do.

And while there is no possible way to explain what combat is like to someone who has never experienced it, and never had their life directly threatened by another human being, those of us who have been there can tell you that both the best and the worst of humanity is seen in war.

Watching the top of your friend’s head get removed by a piece of shrapnel from an exploding 88 round during the Battle of the Bulge…holding your buddy in your arms while he slowly bleeds to death in the jungles outside of Ke Sahn, Vietnam after being shot by the Cong…or climbing up into your Humvee’s turret to man the 50 Cal because your squad mate fell back inside after an RPG exploded in his face…only to reach up and grab the gun’s grips, and instead, grab your squad mate’s still attached hand…

Or, it is your head, your blood flowing into the grass, or your hand blown off!  Or, possibly worse, your injuries are of the mental kind… of seeing and doing things that no human should ever be witness to, or called upon to do!

These are the stakes that joining the military are all about.  Yet, there are people willing to go do it, and if asked, they would go do it again in an instant.  They experienced the most challenging of situations and through it all, cared for the homeland and the freedom we all enjoy more than life itself.

They laid it all out for one another…living, loving, crying and dying together.  It is a weird dichotomy…war.  How can it be that such things still go on in these supposedly enlightened times?

Millions of fellow American men and women that you never knew agreed to risk going through this hell for you.  Many of them came back home in a flag-covered box, and some never came back at all.  So, what kind of person can love you so much that they would die for you without ever having met you?

Who can love their flag so much that they would die for it, and for the principles she stands for?  Who would take those risks and not expect any thanks in return, knowing that the thanks are, ironically, in having been one of the few to sign on the line and raise their right hand to God as they pledged to defend this country?

A veteran…that’s who!

If the idea of that does not stir your soul, what will?  So, if you see a veteran, shake their hand, or maybe even give them a hug.  If you cannot think of anything to say, that’s OK too. They’ll understand the message:  Veterans in this room, I salute you.

And to all veterans who read this, and to their families, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your sacrifice as you proudly served your country.

For information regarding cemetery and funeral arrangements, call 219-769-8803.

 

 

 

 

The real un-sung heroes at a cemetery….

Jeremy Grant (Assistant ground supervisor) and Tim McClure (superintendent)

Cemeteries and funeral homes are much more complicated than might be expected by the general population.  For now, I would like to let you in on what it takes to make a cemetery worthy of being named the number one cemetery in the country for 2018.

Calumet Park owns over 400 acres of land.  As of this year (founded in 1928 with first burial in 1929) approximately 175 acres of land have been developed for burials.  In these 91 years, we have completed the final arrangements and burials of 50,746 individuals, or an average of 573 burials per year.

Calumet Park requires a triple check system for locating the proper grave to be prepared.  Once the location is confirmed as being 100% correct, a team digs the grave, usually with an oversized backhoe.  The dirt is taken away from the area as many people do not like to think of so much dirt piled on their loved one.  An outer container is placed in the freshly dug grave, usually a vault of varying degrees of protection against the entry of water and insects and other gravesite elements from penetrating into the casket.  It is designed to hold up the earth from caving in, and is required for every ground burial at Calumet Park.  Graves are approximately six feet deep.

The lid is placed to the side until after the committal service is complete.  There is a set-up involved that ensures against the collapse of the grave before dirt is brought back to cover the grave.  Next, a lowering device is set over the open grave from which the casket will be lowered into the vault at the appropriate time at the conclusion of the committal service.  A committal service simply means the gathering of friends and relatives to witness the commitment of their loved one to their final resting place.

The next step is to place “greens”, or artificial grass, around the grave to improve the appearance of the grave for the committal service.  Finally, a tent is set up that helps to shield the immediate family from the elements…rain and intense heat in the summer.  Once the committal service is complete and the funeral director thanks all for coming, those in attendance are dismissed.  The grounds crew then comes back to the site to complete the burial and place the flowers on the mounded earth left to settle.  The set-up procedure is reversed and the burial is complete.  Over the following couple of weeks, weather permitting, additional dirt is brought in to level the grave with a final layer of topsoil, grass seed and a special covering to speed up the growth of grass seed, placed on the fresh grave.

Tim McClure

There is a tremendous amount of cemetery maintenance that is tended to every day.  There are well over 100,000 markers, upright monuments, shrubs, trees and seemingly unending acres of grass to be mowed.  Think of what is involved in making your own lawn look nice and usually a yard is not filled with things rising up from the land that need to be trimmed around.  There are over 5 miles of two -way roads that have to be maintained, including snow removal and pot hole repair or repaving of blacktop throughout the cemetery as needed

Trucks and backhoes and earth movers of different sizes are used daily along with hand tools and snow removal equipment.  As in life outside of the cemetery, machines break down and need to be repaired or replaced at some pretty hefty price-tags.  There are many different skill levels needed to keep it all going.  Tim McClure, superintendent and Jeremy Grant (assistant super) work with a crew of permanent workers and in the spring, summer and fall, the work force doubles to help keep pace with the never-ending job of grass cutting and trimming.

Add to all of the daily tasks, the grounds crew is responsible for setting flush markers and foundations for upright monuments, along with the setting of those monuments.  This is backbreaking work and must be handled with care and precision.

At Calumet Park, the grounds crew helps to take care of ground maintenance at our three funeral homes as well as building maintenance on three funeral homes, two crematories and a massive office/administration building.  Clean-up after storms, including downed trees and branches, along with continuous sweeps of the cemetery to empty waste cans is part of the daily routine.

Many times, the people in green shirts deal with complaining family members when a marker is not at the level that they want it to be at.  An expensive and time-consuming part of running the cemetery is keeping up with this concern.  Calumet Park Cemetery offers free leveling of markers by simply stopping at the office to write up a work order.  It is financially impossible to raise and level every marker even once per year, and even if you did spend the millions it would take to do so, the initial markers would have sunk again or have grass go over them.

Throughout the year, Calumet Park has many community-oriented events, from Memorial Weekend to Butterfly Release program to 5k runs to Veterans Day activity to Fishing for Memories programs to fireworks.  Who else but the grounds crew is there to set up what needs setting up, to control traffic, to ensure proper reverence is paid to those interred here and to make safe all who attend.

So, the purpose of this story is that these men and women work extremely hard and extremely conscientiously for the benefit of every family that chooses Calumet Park as their final resting place.  As I write these words, the heat index in the region is 110 degrees.  The team sweats it off, drinks a lot of water, and work on as your servant.  In winter, with windchills last year as low as 40 degrees below zero, burials still needed to be made, snow still needed to be removed, trash still needed to be cleared and so on and so on.

The old saying of walk in another man’s shoes before you criticize their work hold true in the case of the grounds crew.  I totally appreciate the hard labor and success this team of worthy people exercise on a daily basis (5.5 days per week).  So, when you see one of the workers out in any and all kinds of weather, it is ok for you to thank them and what the heck, offer them a bottle of cold water if you have one to spare.   They are working for each and every person and their families that elect to use Calumet Park and all affiliates.

Lastly, without you as trusted and loyal families, there would be no need for any of us inside the gates of Calumet Park to even show up for work.  So, we thank you for your patronage.

For information on pre-planning your cemetery or funeral arrangements, call 219-769-8803 and check us out on our website at mycalumetpark.com

 

Reminder of three upcoming events at Calumet Park Cemetery…mark your calendars…..

Now that’s a nice catch!

How cute…come for the memories.

You are invited:

June 23 at 11:00 for the Fishing For Memories event.  Almost a guaranty to catch a fish.  For kids 12 and under with a parent or guardian.  Snacks, drinks and bait will be provided as a courtesy.  Located within Calumet Park Cemetery at the corner of 73 and Taft in Merrillville just one mile north of Route 30 on Taft.

July 20th at 11:00.  Eleventh annual live butterfly release program.  Join with so many others who wish to celebrate and remember a loved one who has passed.  Call before July 8th to be sure to have a live butterfly reserved for you.  Enjoy live music, select readings and a wonderful way to spend a morning with others in a shared experience.

September 28:  Mark your calendars for the 2nd Annual 5K walk/run for suicide awareness.   Last year’s event saw 116 people of all ages compete for medals in their age groups.  Dr. Lisa Gold was the feature speaker and she shared her story that you can see by going to Dr. Lisa Gold on Google.If you have questions on any of these events, feel free to call 219.769.8803 for more information.

Spring has arrived at Calumet Park Cemetery in Merrillville, Indiana…Happy Mother’s Day to all…

Administration Building

Check out other posts in this blog to see the Spring newsletter, or stop at the office on your next visit to the cemetery.  The entire Memorial Day schedule is included.  If you have questions, call 769-8803.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mom’s of the world.  Thank you for all you do.  Calumet Park will present a bouquet of flowers to all visitors to the cemetery on Mother’s Day until we run out.  Hope your day is great and thanks to all who come visit their Mother’s at whatever cemetery they are in.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers…..

The most important question that can be asked is the one that you need answered.  So, how can a FAQ sheet be put together that brings your question to the top of the list? A suggestion might be for you to scan through all the questions shown in this blog and find the one that you are looking for.  You can call 219-769-8803 at any time (8:30-4:30 Monday thru Friday) if you need an immediate answer, which generally prompts a caller to ask follow-up questions.  For non-urgent answers, read all the FAQ entries and you may discover questions that you had not thought about to ask but really wanted to know.

Click FAQ for inquisitive families

for answers to 67 frequently asked questions.  Take a little time to read through these questions as you may feel comforted knowing a little about a topic that nobody likes to talk about…

 

He is risen…

When a death occurs, who do you call?

When a death occurs at home or not in a medical institution: Under hospice care, call your hospice nurse.  They will confirm your loved one’s death and consult with a physician if necessary.  When you are ready to have the decedent removed from your home or other non-institutional place of death, contact your funeral home for further information and assistance.

Did you know that Calumet Park has three funeral homes for your convenience:  Merrillville (219.736.5840), Hobart (219.940.3791) and Rendina Funeral Home (219.980.1141)

When not under hospice care and a death occurs outside of a medical institution, it is necessary to first call the coroner or medical examiner to confirm the death.  This may be done by calling your local police or sheriff department at 911.  Once the coroner or medical examiner has arrived, let them know of your preference to contact us for further information or assistance (or your funeral home of choice).

When a death occurs in an institution: such as a hospital or nursing home, the medical staff will generally take care of all necessary steps.  All you would need to do is to notify the staff that you would like to have us handle the arrangements so that they can have you sign any necessary release paperwork.  It is always your choice as to what funeral home you prefer.  The institution will contact us to make arrangements so that we can assume custody of the deceased.

When a death occurs out of state or out of the area: If death occurs outside of Indiana or away from the region, please call us first so we can coordinate with a local funeral director at the place of death to have your loved one returned to this area. By being a member of several national associations, we can often save you money and added stress by having our firm make the arrangement to have your loved one brought back to Indiana.  Likewise, if your loved one is from out of the area, we can help with arrangements to get them to a funeral home in their hometown.

By contacting us first, we will assist you by answering any questions you may have.  We will listen and review the many available options that best meet your preferences and financial needs.  We want you to know that you are not alone and our caring staff will help make your loss as easy on you as possible.

Please have the following information available when you call our funeral home for help:

1.  legal name and location of the deceased and

2.  your name, phone number and your relationship to the person who will be in charge of making the arrangements with a funeral director.

3.  finally, for your meeting with your funeral director of choice, please bring the following to help in making the transition go as smoothly as possible – decedent’s legal name, sex, social security number, date of birth, date of death, birthplace (city, state, zip), if in military what branch, marital status, surviving spouse’s name, maiden name if wife, decedent’s occupation, complete address at the time of death, decedent’s highest level of education, if Hispanic origin (State of Indiana asks this for death certificate), what race, father’s name, mother’s name, and mother’s maiden last name.

4.  When you meet with your funeral director, bring all of the info listed plus the following:  burial clothing including undergarments and shoes, recent photograph, clergy name and phone number, copy of military discharge (DD214 or equivalent) when applicable to get all benefits from government and all the special discounts that Calumet Park and Rendina Funeral Home give, any applicable life insurance policies along with the phone number of your insurance agent, and the name of your cemetery of choice (Calumet Park – 2018 winner of best cemetery in the country would be an excellent choice) and deeds and contracts with the cemetery.

If you have any questions regarding anything you just read, please call 219-769-8803.  Check out our new website at http://www.mycalumetpark.com

This is what -18 looked like on January 31, 2019 at the #1 Cemetery in the country…

Just before sunrise at Calumet Park Cemetery at the corner of 73rd and Taft in Merrillville, IN.

One of the local newspapers called the other day as they were planning to run a story about what cemeteries do when it is this cold out.  In talking with Tim McClure, the grounds superintendent for over 14 years and employee for over 32, the answer is much like the line made famous in the baseball movie: “build it and they will come”.  In other words, Calumet Park has never been unavailable for a burial, regardless of the weather.  If a family wants a funeral regardless of the weather, Calumet Park will meet their needs.  That is not to say that the weather hasn’t caused some families to hold off for a burial until better conditions arrived.  The same philosophy applies to our three funeral homes.  Call for more info or if you have any questions.  We are here to serve.   

 

Scenes from Memorial Weekend 2018…

Bronze statue on top of Veteran Columbarium in the Veteran Section (Section 17)

Calumet Park thanks all who visited the park this weekend to pay their respects.  Thousands of cars passed through the gates over the weekend with people coming out to remember their lost loved ones.

Battle of the Bulge tribute monument. Next visit to the cemetery, get a close-up look at the monument. There are scenes etched into the granite of the battle. On the back of the monument is a map of Europe showing how the battle lines between good and evil bulged but never broke with the good guys winning, thanks to our wonderful troops.

Video Monument showing a short photo history of Paul Vogel Sr., former CEO of Calumet Park Cemetery, with his motorcycle and with the Harley Hears. Paul passed away a few months ago and is sorely missed.

Veteran Section with thousands of flags flying high in honor of all vets buried at Calumet Park Cemetery.

Special Veteran Monument overlooking the thousands of graves of yesterdays heros…all those who proudly wore the uniform of the US military.

Awaiting the color guard…

Wolff Gang choral group from Hobart High School.

Invocation for Veterans Memorial Ceremony with Pastor Dan Jacobsen from Bethel Church in Hobart

Captain James Wiltshire, USNR (ret) giving the keynote address for the Veterans Ceremony.

Music provided by Merrillville High School Symphonic Band…

Merrillville High School band.

Presentation of the wreaths before the Veterans Memorial…

Some of America’s finest ready for gun salute.

One of the many religious services held throughout the park on Memorial Day.

Harry Stemph, retired military and member of the Knights of Columbus, getting ready for procession to Catholic Mass at the Priest’s Circle.

  For information on pre-planning your cemetery and funeral needs, call 219-769-8803 or stop in and talk with one of our no-pressure family service counselors.

New flag at Calumet Park Cemetery in Merrillville….

 

 

What is 20′ x 30′ and flies 80 feet in the sky?  Answer, the new flag flying over the entrance to Calumet Park Cemetery … 80 foot flagpole and huge flag … we salute all Americans!  For Memorial Weekend, the following are specially priced:  25% off the Veteran Memorial Columbarium, 25% off the new Meditation Pond Columbariums (see pictures above), 25% off a new private mausoleum on a pond with a fountain next to the original community mausoleum, 25% off specific graves (ask a Family Service Counselor to show them to you…new sections, 50% off all selections in the Black Monument/bronze flush marker section, and 15% off all monuments and markers.  We can deliver to any cemetery in NW Indiana.

 

 

For more information, call 219-769-8802