San Antonio – A San Antonio man has dedicated several months to cleaning and revitalizing some of San Antonio’s oldest gravestones.
This man, who asked not to be identified, has cleaned at least 400 gravestones in the San Fernando Cemetery #2 since last May.
He said there is a reason why he wanted to remain anonymous.
“I am a good son of the church, so I want this to be for the greater glory of God,” said the man. “When I am doing this, I also want this to be about the people and their stories. I have no special talent for this or anything, it is just something I enjoy doing.”
Some of the gravestones he’s cleaned are at least 100-years-old.
“It is a very historic, beautiful place,” said the man. “I have a lot of family members buried there. I went to visit some people and noticed some of the stones were in bad shape. Discolored. They had a lot of moss and organic stuff on them.”
He said he researched ways to clean gravestones efficiently.
“I went online and saw there was this chemical you can use,” the man said. “With a brush and some water and a little bit of time, they come out looking pretty good.”
Some of the stones are big and some are small but the good Samaritan says he’s learned the biggest stories are in the smallest gravestones.
He tracks the people who have passed genealogy as well.
“I was cleaning and I thought, since I am a history teacher, I would do a brief genealogy of who they were, where they came from, and what they passed away from.”
Doing so, he said he saw a snapshot of what was going on during certain time periods.
“I learned that some of the illnesses that took people 100, 90, 80 years ago, were easily things we can now get rid of. Tuberculosis was a big one. Pneumonia, bronchitis, and I have also seen an ear infection.”
He said he has learned about people from all walks of life, anywhere from actresses to police officers.
“These were once lives of people who lived many years ago,” the man said. “It is kind of sad when you think about, despite their life experiences and their lives, there is no one there to take care of their graves. Which I think most people would like to have done to their graves when they pass on.”
He said he also hopes to encourage others to have more respect for those who have passed on.
“These places matter,” the man said. “They are not just a blurb of stones. Well, each one was alive and each one has a story to tell. These places are historically significant and important and we need to do our best to preserve them. We have a beautiful cemetery and if we don’t take care of them, eventually, they are going to fall down and be so damaged to the point where you cannot see the person’s name anymore.”
The man said his experience has also encouraged him to appreciate life even more.
“It reminds me how every day is important and how sometimes our time is limited and that we need to take every day and appreciate every day and every moment,” the man said.
He hopes his actions encourage others to help preserve the cemeteries of San Antonio too.
“These things kind of need to be done and if it can motivate or show somebody it can be done, then it is all well worth it,” the man said.
To see the work he’s done, you can visit an Instagram page he’s dedicated to the cemetery.
RELATED: What’s Up South Texas!: San Antonio man shares legacy of African American art, collections
