Photo lineup, from left: Linken Silveus, Scott Silveus, Landon Gause, Dan Gause, Braxtin Wilson, Howard Kistler, Travis Shipp, Jeff Helfers, Mike Howard, Jim Gause, Leigh Ann Denlinger. InkFreeNews photo by Lasca Randels

By Lasca Randels
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Oakwood Cemetery, located on Maple Avenue in Warsaw and overseen by Sexton Hal Heagy, has a reputation for being one of the most beautiful cemeteries around.

Founded in 1874, the cemetery has about 19,000 graves. In addition, there are three cremation garden areas, the Garden of Angels, three Legion circles and a Civil War section.

Oakwood is maintained by a staff of seven full-time employees, along with four part-time employees who help out during the summer months. 

Heagy credits the work ethic of his staff for the cemetery’s pristine condition.

“These men and women have taken pride in what they do to make the cemetery look beautiful and to pay respect to the loss of loved ones,” Heagy said. 

Upon speaking with the employees, what stands out is the sense of camaraderie among the staff, who spoke highly of each other and of their leader, Heagy.

The full-time Oakwood Cemetery staff consists of: 

• Jeff Helfers, Leesburg, who has been employed at the cemetery as a groundskeeper for 14 years. He and his wife, Michelle, have three daughters. In his free time, Helfers likes to fish and hang out with his wife. 
• Administrative Assistant Leigh Ann Denlinger, Warsaw, who has been employed at the cemetery for 13 years. 
• Jim Gause Jr., Warsaw, who has been employed for nine years with the cemetery. He and his wife, Shannon, have two adult children. Jim is a fan of Hoosier basketball, Notre Dame football, Chicago Cubs, and the Indianapolis Colts. 
• Michael Howard, Warsaw, who worked for the cemetery between 2013-2017 and then returned in May of 2021. He and his wife, Jordan, have a two-year-old daughter. In his free time, Howard enjoys weight training.
• Travis Shipp, Pierceton, who has worked at Oakwood for four years. 
• Howard Kistler Jr., Rochester, who has four years of service at Oakwood. He is married to Stacy and enjoys riding motorcycles.
• Braxtin Wilson, North Manchester, who started working at the cemetery in January of 2023. 

Oakwood’s part-time groundskeepers are: 

• Scott Silveus, Warsaw, who worked full-time at the cemetery for two years and has been with the cemetery on a part-time basis for two years. He and his wife, Melissa, have three sons, seven grandchildren and two Golden Retrievers. 
• Dan Gause, Winona Lake, who has worked at the cemetery for 14 years. He and his wife, Kim, have two sons. Dan is a fifth-grade teacher at North Webster Elementary School. 
• Linken Silveus, Warsaw, a sophomore at Indiana University Bloomington studying film and television production, who has worked at the cemetery for three years.
• Landon Gause, a sophomore at Spring Arbor University, who has been employed at Oakwood for two years. 

Heagy said his crew work well together and are cross-trained in every function of maintaining the cemetery grounds. 

Linken Silveus, who works at Oakwood during the summer months, along with his grandfather, Scott Silveus, said the groundskeepers take a lot of pride in making the cemetery look nice.

“People will sometimes stop and say stuff like, “Hey, looks good, looks nice,’ and it’s nice when that happens because it gives you a sense of encouragement and pride in what you’re doing,” Linken said.

Jeff Helfers, who has been employed at the cemetery the longest, said, “Here at the cemetery, we do a wide variety of work — everything from mowing and weed-eating to concrete work to running the heavy equipment, digging the graves, tree trimming. On any given day, we do lots of different things — and each season there are different responsibilities. We get a lot of compliments and it’s encouraging to hear that from the visitors — that they appreciate our work. We have a good group of guys. They all work hard and care about the work they do and take pride in the work they do.”

Michael Howard left his job at the cemetery in 2019 to pursue a career in law enforcement but returned to Oakwood in 2021.

“I made it a point to come back here,” Howard said. “Once an opening became available at the cemetery again, I thought, ‘Yep, this is it.’ Hal makes it a fun place to work. He’s not that boss that’s going to breathe down your neck. He knows we’re going to get the job done. He’s a good leader.”

Three members of the Gause family are employed at Oakwood: Jim Gause Jr.; his brother, Dan; and Dan’s son, Landon.

“We believe that every stone is important and we believe that every funeral is important. I always tell the guys, we treat every funeral like it was your mom’s. It’s supposed to be done right and bring a good conclusion for those people because this is the last time they actually see their loved ones,” Jim said. “It goes back to the leadership from Hal and from the city. Our city puts a lot of pride into the cemetery — and not just the cemetery. They care about their streets, wastewater, the parks. I think it goes back to the very top — Mayor Thallemer, and I appreciate that. He looks at every department as very important, and every employee throughout the city knows their role. We cannot do this all alone, because our part-timers help us out, and we just work as a team to get things done. And Leigh Ann (Denlinger), too, she’s kind of the glue for all of us. It’s just — everybody helps one another out and it’s great.” 

Jim’s brother, Dan, has been working at Oakwood for the past 14 summers.

“Everybody who works here takes pride in doing their best work,” Dan said. “We have a great team. We’re blessed.”

Landon, a student at Spring Arbor University, said, “I like working with the guys — great guys, and Hal, our boss, always takes care of us. When you see other guys working hard, it motivates you. We all get along great.”

Leigh Ann Denlinger, administrative assistant at the Oakwood office, said she lived near the cemetery when she was growing up.

“It was always a safe and serene place to ride my bike or walk through to get to Pike Lake,” she said. “And now, I enjoy having the opportunity to help people during a loss and show compassion to others.”

Founded in 1874, Oakwood Cemetery is located at the corner of Maple and Sheridan streets in Warsaw. InkFreeNews photo by Lasca Randels.