Oak Mound Cemetery in Healdsburg getting a facelift

The Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society got a boost for its Oak Mound Cemetery cleanup project when the estate of Ralph and Lorraine Morse provided a matching grant donation of $25,000. This approach will go a long way toward enabling the completion of the next two phases of the project, said the museum’s board president, Jim Brush.

The estate trustee (who wants to remain anonymous) made the decision after reading an article about the project in The Press Democrat and visiting the cemetery. “It has a tremendous history, and it’s a shame that it hasn’t always been kept up,” he concluded. After investigating further, he decided it was a cause that the Morses would have supported. “They were an absolutely delightful couple,” he said. “They left a substantial portion of their estate for charitable purposes, including local causes.”

“Trust is a very important thing,” he added. “The fact that the Healdsburg Museum is a well-established charitable organization with a great record of accomplishment of doing good in the community went a long way in helping me make the decision.”

Ralph Daniel Morse died in October 2009 at age 85. His wife, Lorraine, died last November at age 100. A Windsor resident, Ralph Morse was an accountant for 28 years with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Brush said he believes the museum will be able to match the funds. He disclosed that it has already received six or seven donations in the amount of $3,000 toward the project.

Healdsburg Museum volunteer Jim Dreisback, who is head of the cemetery project, said they’ve recently held another two big workdays. They cleaned humus and debris off the gravesites and found other graves that they didn’t even know existed.

They are 75 percent through the first phase, with more tree work remaining, he said.

Phase two of the project includes rehabilitation of headstones and monuments and putting them back into place. It also includes revamping the “Tipsy” fountain, a replica of “Leda and the Swan,” from Greek mythology.

Dreisback said that ?the latest workdays were once again underwritten by local wineries and vineyard management companies, which provided the workers as well as insurance. They have provided more than 900 hours of labor on the project to date.

Donations to the project are still needed and can be made by check to the Healdsburg Museum, P.O. Box 952, Healdsburg 95448 or by credit card at https://www.razoo.com/story/Oak-Mound-Cemetery-Maintenance.

Credit-card payments also will be accepted by phone, 431-3325, Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.