May 9, 2016
…………………………..A new veterans’ cemetery has been developed in Lakeville, Massachusetts. It was created by the town’s Cemetery Commission by portioning part of the Thompson Hill Cemetery on Rhode Island Road on Route 79. Some 133 grave sites have been reserved for Lakeville veterans and their spouses or significant other.
………………. The new veterans’ cemetery had been in the planning stages for several years and was dedicated on Veterans Day 2015, according to an article in the New Bedford Standard -Times. Credit for leading the development of the new cemetery is given to the Cemetery Commission and its Chairman Ken Upham.
………………Upham, a retired Marine, who served two tours in Vietnam, was named The Standard-Times 2015 Lakeville Man of the Year for his efforts. The newspaper reported that Lakeville “usually averages two to three veteran burials a year. At that rate, the cemetery would not be filled for 25-35 years.”
………………Burial plots in the new cemetery are deeded to Lakeville veterans for a mere $1.00 along with $300.00 for perpetual care, plus a $25 recording fee.
………………Lakeville resident James F. Salvato, 85, a United States Army Korean War veteran, was the first to be committed for burial in the new cemetery on May 9, 2016. Middleboro’s Veterans Honor Guard provided a flag detail and rifle squad while rendering military honors. A two member Army detail provided a flag folding presentation and bugler for the internment.
………………………………………………….. (Compiled by Bob Lessard Post 64 Historian
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