Urgent Call to Action
Support St Mary Cemetery's Recovery Efforts
Join us in restoring the peace and beauty of St. Mary Cemetery following the recent tornado. Your support is essential as we work to rebuild and care for this cherished resting place.
The need is significant—we estimate that cleanup and restoration will require $100,000 or more. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a meaningful difference.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and support.
Latest Updates
Volunteers hard at work
Volunteer Update
A heartfelt thank you to the more than 100 volunteers who joined us for the first of three Volunteer Cleanup Days on July 31. Your hard work, dedication, and generosity made an incredible difference in just a few hours. We are truly grateful for each and every one of you!
Our next Volunteer Cleanup Day will be Saturday, August 15, beginning at 9:00 a.m. and continuing into the early afternoon.
This cleanup will focus on raking and final site cleanup as we continue removing the remaining stumps, root balls, and damaged standing trees. Every helping hand brings us one step closer to restoring the beauty of St. Mary Cemetery.
Volunteers should meet at the cemetery office by 8:45 a.m. for a brief overview and work assignments before we begin.
Please wear sturdy shoes, bring work gloves and a leaf rake if you have them, and come ready to make a difference.
Thank you for your continued support of St. Mary Cemetery—we couldn't do this without our amazing community!
Updates on Tornado Cleanup
The recent tornado caused significant damage throughout St. Mary Cemetery, impacting trees, monuments, and landscaped areas. While recovery efforts are still ongoing, we are grateful to report that substantial progress has been made thanks to the dedication and support of many individuals and organizations.
Current Status
- The majority of the 75 damaged trees have been removed.
- Approximately 35 tree trunks remain to be removed, along with 17 large root balls.
- An estimated 60 stumps still need to be ground.
- Nearly all displaced upright monuments have been professionally reset, thanks to the generous volunteer efforts of Appleton Marble & Granite and the staff of St. Joseph Cemetery.
- We are still evaluating the markers and monuments but have seen no significant unrepaired damage.
Ongoing Work
Remaining restoration efforts include re-establishing landscaping, resetting flat grave markers that were displaced by uprooted trees, and completing additional cleanup and site restoration throughout the cemetery.
Our Thanks
We also want to extend our sincere gratitude to Jim Lang and his crew from Allouez Cemetery in Green Bay, and the many volunteers who have generously contributed their time, skills, and support during this recovery effort. Twin City Monuments, Appleton Stoneworx and many others have also volunteered their professional time and talents.
A special thank you is also extended to Kurt's Services, whose crews and heavy equipment arrived on site within 12 hours of our call. Their prompt response, professionalism, and hard work made a significant impact in the early stages of recovery.
We are also deeply grateful for the many prayers, words of encouragement, and expressions of support we have received. Your kindness has been a great source of strength for our staff during this challenging time.
We will continue to provide updates as restoration work progresses. Thank you for your continued patience, support, and prayers.