By Brynna Williamson
He stands silently among the graves. Sunset is falling. In the cemetery, all is quiet as the solitary man goes to the headstones, one by one. He reverently cleans off each one to the very best of his ability.
This might sound like a spooky Halloween tale, but Ron Schell’s story is actually a very, very sweet one.
In a word, Ron cleans headstones—and he does so in all the time that he can spare. “I’m probably the most boring guy in Wood County,” he joked. “Because every chance I get, that’s where you’ll find me. I love so much about it.”
That’s where I personally was hooked. Okay, Ron, what do you love about cleaning headstones? “Well,” as he mentioned, “it blends several passions for me.”
The Motivation
The first of these is his utter love for genealogy. Ron has been getting into a study of genealogy for about 25 years. After retiring from his long career in accounting, Ron—who is now 74—started having the time to travel to our beloved Wood County, Texas, where his ancestors were from, and do more genealogy; but it was when COVID hit in 2020 that Ron, as we all can guess, suddenly really had time to study and do research in genealogy.
What better place to do genealogy during a time when we can’t be around people anyway, Ron thought, than a cemetery? So he went. And he found that looking at headstones wasn’t like being “in a cemetery full of strangers, but it was like a giant family tree.”
The second reason Ron cleans these headstones is that, in the process of getting into genealogy, Ron discovered that even a generation or two behind, details of our ancestors’ lives begin to get fuzzy, hazy, or just even plain forgotten. Ron thinks that that’s a shame.
“Parts of the cemeteries, even for the cemeteries that are active, there’s a good portion of those folks whose lives are just forgotten,” says Ron. “You know, they had a big impact on building this county, and a big impact on their communities. They literally built the roads, the communities, the businesses, the schools, the churches, and all of those things. “And I don’t want those folks to be forgotten,” he said.
The third reason—one that he does unto himself and certainly not for the recognition—is actually for his Christian faith. To Ron, volunteering to quietly clean off headstones isn’t just an act of “do-good-ism.” It’s not even just a way to remember the legacies of those who have passed (although it’s certainly that, too). For Ron, this is actually a ministry.
“You know, it’s not commonly (considered this way), but, uh, in some ways, I kind of consider part of it as taking care of the saints from days past,” said Ron.
And lastly? Ron just finds cleaning headstones and being quiet in a cemetery peaceful—quiet and serene in its complete tranquility.
Halloween?
Because of what he considers the beauty of the work that he volunteers to do, Ron doesn’t think of “the dark side” of being in a cemetery. “When I’m at a cemetery, I never think of the dark side of it,” said Ron with conviction. “It just doesn’t approach me like that. I’m very comfortable. As far as the ‘macabre’ part of it—the deep, dark side—I don’t have any (perspective like that); that’s never been an issue.”
To Ron, the cemeteries in Wood County are beautiful places—places of sweet, quiet peace, not places of any macabre imaginings. In fact, Ron sees cleaning off headstones as a way to spend some time in what he sees as “a park-like atmosphere.”
“It’s just a pleasant (place),” said Ron. “It can be serene, you can be by yourself. It’s that aspect of it—particularly on a nice, pleasant day. (That appeals to me.) “
Of course, while he could go to tranquil places just to relax for himself, Ron goes to help others. That’s why he’s done his research to ensure that everything he uses to treat these antique Wood County headstones is safe and effective, but also non-damaging.
The long and short of the need for Ron’s work is this: When headstones—which are often made of marble, limestone, or granite—get old, organic growth such as lichen and mosses grow on them. These are the green or rusty colored spots, plant material, etc. that many of us have seen on headstones before.
While it is possible to simply scrub off such material, Ron says that it would take hours and real muscle work for each one. Instead, what he (and professional gravestone restorer/cleaners like himself) uses is actually a safe chemical compound that kills the organic growth. The compound is called quaternary ammonia, says Ron, and is not more dangerous to touch than any other general household cleaner. The compound is simply sprayed on, then left to do its work over the next few weeks or months. After a while, Ron comes back and uses a natural bristle brush and water in order to gently clean away the dead biological matter. He then re-sprays it. The longer he lets the compound sit, he says, the better it works.
Ron also notes that everything he uses has been approved by the National Park Service for use on historic stones, and headstones in particular.
Addiction, Mission, or Ministry?
You know, one of the funny things about what Ron does, if you think about it, is that it isn’t a business. In fact, he doesn’t do it for money at all, doesn’t even need to ask permission most times. He just quietly, good-naturedly goes about cleaning off our Wood County headstones (he also does this in Hopkins and Upshur Counties) to make sure that legacies, names, and dates aren’t lost. He does that not only for fellow genealogists like himself, but also for any family members or descendants who are left behind.
He doesn’t advertise, either, since it’s not actually a business.
“I have so much that has grown organically—excuse the pun—that has been word of mouth,” he said.
For every cemetery that he gives a helping hand to, Ron spends even more time researching it than he actually does cleaning it. According to him, a “work week” in winter looks like 6-8 hours cleaning for every 12 hours researching.
“My goal is not to be just a cemetery guy that’s sort of broad based, but to be one that’s very much focused on trying to keep up, and restore, and preserve his own heritage,” he said.
Cleaning headstones, both as a ministry and as a hobby, is not something that Ron ever planned to get into. For him, it just sort of happened. “Nobody was probably more surprised than me that it became something I just loved doing!” he said.
But just because he was surprised doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love what he does. To him, this ministry is a humbling, reverent, low-profile thing that he can do to enjoy himself, get outside, and serve. Creepy? Macabre? Dark and spooky? Nah. Ron thinks cemeteries—and by extension, his work—offer a peaceful, relaxing service that he can provide to help others in an unassuming way. So to sum it up? It’s pretty cool. “(Cemeteries are about) hallowed ground: but not Halloween,” said Ron.