Bristol Cemetery Plans Special Section For Veterans

BRISTOL, CT — A local cemetery is adding a new special section for veterans which will be available to city residents.

The new veterans memorial section at St. Joseph Cemetery, which is on Terryville Avenue, or Route 6, will be ready for use this summer, according to Michael Frey, cemetery manager.

The local effort comes as the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown is working to get more land to keep up with demand.

The new section for veterans at St. Joseph is toward the back of the Catholic cemetery. It will feature a large cross decorated with white stone, and an approximately 30-foot flagpole with an American flag, Frey said.

According to Frey, the new section will solely be for cremations.

Cemetery officials haven’t plotted the space out yet to determine how many cremation plots the site will allow.

Frey said the hope is to have the site ready for use this summer. A special ceremony, dedication and a blessing is being planned, with a date to be announced.

While officials initially hoped to have it ready for Memorial Day, inclement weather caused delays, according to Frey.

The plan is for the space to be for the burial of veterans and their spouses, with free burials for the veterans, Frey said.

Lenny Lamothe, a member of the city’s Board of Park Commissioners, is a liaison for local veterans and is helping to coordinate the effort.

“Bristol has a large population of veterans, and we support them,” Lamothe said. “This will be giving veterans a large area in the back of the cemetery.”

Lamothe noted how the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown is having space issues, and this will give local veterans another option to choose from when considering a final resting place.

The Middletown cemetery is running out of space for one of the three burial options it offers, according to John Carragher, manager of veterans advocacy and assistance for the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs.

The State Veterans Cemetery’s three options include full casket burials, columbariums (above ground structures which hold cremated remains), and burial of cremated remains. The Middletown cemetery is running short of space for burying cremated remains, which happens to be the most popular option, according to Carragher, who is also director of the State Veterans Cemetery.

“Hats off to the (Bristol) cemetery for establishing a section for veterans,” said Carragher. “There is always demand, and most cemeteries do not have dedicated veterans sections.”

The State Veterans Cemetery is looking to expand to meet the demand.

“We are actively working to procure more space, and we are confident we will continue to be able to offer all three options,” Carragher said.

Carragher declined to comment this past week on where the state is trying to secure more land.

Earlier this year, the state invited property owners to submit proposals for land to be used for its veterans cemetery. According to the state, proposals were due in February and are still under evaluation.

At St. Joseph Cemetery in Bristol, the beginnings of the large decorative cross are already visible at the new veterans section.

In addition to the decorative cross and flagpole, there are plans for walkways and a memorial which honors veterans from all the branches of service at the site, according to Lamothe, whose father and uncle were veterans.

The cemetery is funding all of the improvements except for the flagpole.

Stanley Piotrowski, treasurer of the Bristol Veterans Council and a Vietnam-era Air Force veteran, said the council has purchased the flagpole so it can be installed at St. Joseph Cemetery anytime now, and it has sought grant money to cover the cost.

“I think it is commendable as far as St. Joe’s is concerned,” Piotrowski said, of the new special section for veterans. “Father Ivan Ramirez at St. Joe’s suggested that area in the cemetery be for veterans. Without him giving us that area, it wouldn’t be happening.”