About my grandparents…

First, I remember the heat and the blaring sun. I remember the work that, at the time, I didn’t care to do, but it was expected. Then, the fond memories of cleaning up the cemetery with Mama Rene and Daddy Buck make me smile.

J.W. (Buck) Atkinson and his wife, Irene, purchased the final two acres of what completed the Oakland Community Cemetery in the late 1960s.  Irene started a cemetery fund to maintain not only the two acres they purchased, but for the entire cemetery, dating back to the 1800s.  I was a large cemetery, but it was kept simple.  There was no concrete, and at times the driving areas weren’t even noticeable if the grass had time to fill in the tire ruts.

They took it upon themselves to do the maintenance, hiring out for anything they couldn’t manage on their own – or with the help of family.  That’s where I come in.  I knew them as Mama Rene and Daddy Buck, my grandparents.  I often spent time with them as a kid and helped with the cemetery.  It wasn’t as fun as playing in the woods or Daddy Buck’s junk yard, but it was time with them – and that’s what mattered.

At first, my main job was to ensure that Sandy had enough water and stayed in the shade, pull weeds from the graves, and pick up flowers and arrangements that had been knocked over by the wind.  Sandy, who I am sure many WLAW (local radio station) thought was my twin, was my grandparent’s pug.  We were born on the same day, so Mama Rene called the radio station to wish Sandy and Rodney Atkinson a very happy birthday.

As I got older, I was promoted to assistant grasscutter.  Daddy Buck continued using the Sears lawn tractor, and I took over the self-propelled push mower job from Mama Rene.  Eventually, they needed more help and began hiring out the entire job.  I can’t say that I miss the work, but I will always cherish those memories like I cherish all memories of Mama Rene and Daddy Buck.

• Rodney Atkinson

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