San Fernando Cemetery has thousands of visitors each year. People come for many different reasons. Some are family members, who come daily to visit their deceased loves ones. Others have never been in a cemetery and are just curious to see what it’s like. We have historians, artists, and people attempting to trace their family trees. We have teachers who bring their classes here for a special project. Young and old alike, people from all walks of life come to visit the cemetery. Not to mention the attendees of the 1500 plus funeral services we conduct yearly. Visitors bring with them their own special purpose and expectation.

The first thing each of those visitors sees is the appearance of the cemetery. It doesn’t look to be that large until they try to find a gravesite. Few people realize we have almost 93 acres of grounds, hundreds upon hundreds of trees, plants and flowers and thousands of gravesites.

Each person has a vision in his or her own mind of how a cemetery should appear. I have discovered that most people probably aren’t quite prepared for what they do see when they come to San Fernando. It is a beautiful place. It can be quiet, serene, and restful. It is a holy place where people come to remember and pray. It is also an active place. The sounds of mowers, tractors, heavy equipment, or hammers pounding tent stakes oftentimes fills the air. There is always something going on, and people always have questions. In the weeks to come, I’ll be looking at providing answers to many of those questions. I’ll also look forward to bringing you information about the how and why of things done here at San Fernando.

To assist in bringing information to everyone who visits, we have published a booklet this year that is proving to be very useful. Among other things, in it you will find the weekly and yearly calendar for decoration placement and removal. It outlines the rules, policies and regulations that are in place at the cemetery and provides helpful suggestions to all our patrons. These booklets are available at our main office and copies are carried by each of our foremen for distribution.

I’d like to leave you with a message from the cemetery ground workers to all our patrons.

"As the persons most closely involved in the care and maintenance of the cemetery property, we want you to know that we take our work seriously. We are dedicated to providing the best service we can throughout the year in all kids of weather — rain, cold, snow, sleet, heat, etc. It is important to us that you know WE CARE and are concerned about you and your loved ones. When problems occur, we will always try to correct them as best we can. This is not just our job, it is our vocation."

Respectfully, The Grounds Maintenance Workers