Sam Horton volunteers his time at the Kearny Cemetery. Photo by Nichole Aranda
By Nichole M Aranda
Everyone in the Kearny area knows Sam Horton. Many know him as the “grave digger,” funeral home worker, and a maintenance worker for the Kearny Cemetery. People describe him as quiet, kind, always willing to lend a hand when needed, always there, and has even been called a “Gentle Giant.” Sam is also known to spend a lot of his time watching over the communities loved ones at the Cemetery.
Sam is employed by Bulman Family Funeral Homes, LLC. You know them as the local businesses, Griffith Mortuary and Superior Funeral Home. We see him when he picks up our dearly departed from our homes and hospitals, he helps us pick out where we are going to lay our loved ones to rest, and even at the local cemeteries as we say our final goodbyes. However, when it comes to these cemeteries, that is the only part he is paid for.
You see, Kearny Cemetery is not owned by Griffith Mortuary.
Yet, almost at any given time, you can find Sam at the cemetery. Cleaning up garbage, rearranging flowers that have been blown away, trimming trees, cleaning the road of debris and brush. But what you may not know, is this is his own time, without pay. He does this out of the kindness of his heart. Ensuring that our loved ones are truly resting in peace.
Visit with Sam at the cemetery as he checks up on things and he will tell you which families have come recently and placed new flowers, decorated recently, new headstones, new concrete work. He even stated he could tell that someone came and removed some solar lights that should not have been moved, and how he located them and put them back where they belonged. He even pointed out where trees outside the cemetery had recently been cut down by a local utility company but were not removed. He talked about sorting through it, separating brush from usable firewood, and how once done he would post on Facebook that it was free to pick up and use.
“It’s going to be a lot of work, but someone needs to do it,” Sam said. He is not just worried about the appearance of this debris, but how it poses a fire risk to the cemetery.
In fact, Sam has spent so much time at the cemetery, that when someone needs to pick out a plot for a family member who has passed, Sam can tell you from memory where other members of that family are buried, which spots are open, where a loved one may not want to be buried, and where a new family may want to bury someone to leave space for others in the family when they pass on. He can also tell you where gravesites are “reserved” for other family members such as spouses or children.
“The past few months, I have not been able to get out here as often as I like because I had been taking care of Mom,” Sam explained. His mother, Aida, was ill and passed away in October. “Hopefully I can get back at it soon, because I look at this place, and it looks horrible.”
Also, it should be noted that Sam’s parents were cremated and their ashes buried elsewhere, so this selfless act is not even based on his family’s final resting place.
All around Arizona we have non-perpetual care, neglected or even abandoned cemeteries. Because of Sam’s generous soul, Kearny Cemetery maintains its beauty and tranquility.