In anticipation of the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19th, the patron saint of (among other things) a happy death, St. Joseph Church in Gardner celebrated by reading the recently rediscovered names of those buried in their local cemetery. The cemetery was passed between parishes over many years in the late 1800s and early 1900s and fallen into disrepair. Recent interest by a newly assigned priest helped bring these lost names back to light. Father Edward Looney was visiting cemeteries in his new parish of Brussels this past November to honor the dead when he was told by residents of the town of Gardner that they believed there were at least 30 more people buried in the cemetery than there were markers for. With the help of old town records, Looney and parish volunteers were able to begin identifying who those people could be.

The search has revealed 31 names which you can find at the end of this article. The parish also has future plans to use ground penetrating radar to find the locations of the deceased in order to place cross markers and erecting a monument containing all of the names.

List of those buried at St. Joseph Cemetery, Fox Lane, Gardner without a grave marker:

Eleonore Bourguignon - Died 4-9-1889
Mary Joseph (Vitalin) Calamine - Died 9-28-1897
Marie Cantin - Died Oct. 15, 1879
Maria Sophia Dellevause - Died February 5, 1881
Eugenie Delongville - Died 7-31-1917
Anne (Joseph) Delsipee - Died 12-10-1889
Ann (Sacotte) Delsipee - Died 4-21-1920
Galielmus Delsypee - Died 3-24-1883
Alexandrina Delypses - Died November 15, 1880
Leopold Demortier - Died August 21, 1880
Hearricus Deshez - Died 4-27-1898
Henry (Josephine) Destree - Died 4-25-1898
Joseph Destree - Died 7-23-1911
Petrus Jilius Casimiri Diery - Died 1-27-1882
Joannes Lambertus Doequier - Died Dec. 10, 1881
Patrick Farley - Died 5-30-1893
Marie Francoise - Died 9-12-1889
Mathilde Gigot - Died April 6, 1880
Desirie Henquinet - Died 6-21-1906
Nancy Ibases - Died 3-20-1895
Peter Joseph Jenkin - Died 8-10-1895
Melanie Jenquine - Died 3-27-1918
Victorine Laluzere - Died 1-26-1889
John Longley - Died 12-22-1896
Charlotte Lougueville - Died 7-8-1889
(No first name listed) Niles - Died 9-1903
Alphons Simon - Died 11-16-1901
Marie Steboloeu - Died 8-26-1889
Mary Gladys Tassoul - Died 2-1-1911
Mary Tlachac - Died 8-7-1911
Walter (Vlademir) Yankowski - Died 10-26-1929