With the purchase of a 4.78-acre property, Nuevo Memory Gardens should be able to accommodate Ramona residents who wish to be buried in their hometown over the next few decades.
“Many cemeteries in California are running out of room,” said Patty Estrada, Ramona Cemetery District manager. “Having the new property is such a gift. We know we won’t have to worry about having space to bury our residents for the next 60 years.”
The property at 904 Elm St. adjoins the southeast corner of the cemetery. It has rolling hills and utilities.
“It’s basically raw land that can be used in the future,” Estrada said. “We purchased it knowing a major use permit would be needed to develop it, and we plan to pursue that, as well as develop a master plan.”
Ramona Cemetery District Board President Joe Stupar said purchasing the land was a necessity for the cemetery.
“We were very fortunate that this came to fruition and it will be a great project that will help our community well into the future,” he said.
Estrada said the transaction was what the original owners of the property wanted.
“The property was under the Rosalie J. Lococo family trust,” Estrada said. “The original owners of the land are buried in the cemetery and had long wished for their property to belong to the cemetery.”
Dominique Sanfilippo, grandson of the original owners, was living in San Diego. When he learned he was dying of a terminal illness, he asked to be buried at Nuevo with his grandparents.
Sanfilippo died May 14, but not before meeting the cemetery staff.
“We were able to spend some time with him,” Estrada said. “He shared memories of spending time with his grandparents in Ramona, of the town and of time spent visiting the cemetery.”
Nuevo Memory Gardens, Ramona’s only public cemetery, recently acquired a nearly 5-acre property next door to the current grounds. (Courtesy of Ramona Cemetery District)
Negotiations for the property began in March and the land was purchased on Oct. 9 for $425,000. Stupar along with trustees Melvin Cary and Pete Smith approved the transaction.
Before the sale, Nuevo had 10 acres of land. The cemetery opened with 5 acres in 1893 and acquired an additional 5 acres in 1951.
One of the first priorities for the new property is developing a master plan, but staff have plenty of ideas for what they would like to see in the new space in the meantime.
“We’re still investigating green burials, columbarium for above ground urns, a memorial for veterans and first responders and maybe even a new office space,” Estrada said. “Some of these might be on the current property, while others might be on the new property.”
The cemetery office consists of a 10- by 12-foot cinder block building containing two desks, wall-to-wall filing cabinets and a small window. There is no bathroom or indoor plumbing in the building.
“We make due and are thankful we have the space, but it would be nice to be able to seat more than three people,” Estrada said, adding they often have to meet larger families outdoors.
She said in the future, they would love to have a second space where they could meet with families, allow volunteers to work or even host trustee meetings. They currently rent space in town for the monthly meetings.
A new space for volunteers would also be welcome, Stupar said.
“There are a lot of volunteers that help out at the cemetery because of the history and personal associations they have with it,” Stupar said.
Volunteer Kathy Savage has been helping enter information into the cemetery’s software programs and admits the tight space can be difficult to work in.
“It is satisfying seeing the progress made in helping with the filing and data input,” Savage said. “I love the history of the cemetery.
“The office is very cozy and when someone comes in, I am lucky I can be flexible and head outside or run home while they take care of business, because we don’t all fit in the space that’s there,” she said.
“We’re lucky, Cathy just tucks in wherever she fits,” Estrada said.
While the building can be very hot or very cold, depending on the outside weather, staff said the donation of a mini split heating and air conditioning unit from Frye Mechanical of Ramona helped over the summer.
An improved workshop is also on the wish list. Presently the staff shares space with the heavy equipment, not all of which can be stored inside. The building also leaks during heavy rains.
Although the cemetery plans to keep the same single entry and exit through the main gates, new roads would need to be added to connect the new property with the old.
The cemetery is currently taking bids for paving roads in the two newest sections of the cemetery before the El Niño rains arrive; contractors are encouraged to apply.
Stupar said he hopes some of the items on the wish list might be donated, especially the veterans and first responders’ memorial.
He also hopes residents will continue to let the board know what they are interested in seeing for the cemetery.
“We do listen to suggestions, and now is a good time for the public to let us know if they have any,” Stupar said. “We want to make sure to throw everything in the pot as we work with the county in order to help us with the master plan, zoning and permitting. It won’t happen overnight.”
He said there has been a surge of public interest in the cemetery over the past few years.
“A lot of the members of our community are aging out and getting older and they are thinking about things such as where they want their final resting place to be,” Stupar said.