John Monaghan will lead you on an incredible tour of Garson’s St. John’s Cemetery, where he has devoted the last 40 years of his life to ensuring that all those who are laid to rest there find their home as beautiful as their community can manage.
But what Monaghan will not do, is take any credit for it. Rather, he will speak of the team of men who make this maintenance part of their lives, each one of them with a friend or family member in the cemetery, of their work; the only time he speaks of himself and his dedication to his work is when he is directly asked - and even then, he finds a way to redirect.
When you need a photo to go along with the article you are writing, he will get you to take others' portraits until the light is too dark to take his properly.
He has passion and pride in what he does, in the work that the men of the maintenance team perform; but that never extends beyond that. Monaghan is simply doing what he should.
It began when he took over for his brother, Shane, in 1980. They had family in the cemetery, as many in Garson do, and he wanted to make sure that their final resting place was beautiful, peaceful, and even accessible.
The pathways between gravesites are even and wide, made so even those with mobility devices can reach the graves of their loved ones.
Even the smallest detail is attended to.
“You see the corners of the site, the small stones that mark the edges? They can sink and grass will grow over. We dig them up, put gravel under, and set them back in place so they’re always visible,” Monaghan told Sudbury.com.
There are 20 men that work with Monaghan, a team he is quite proud of. There is also a waiting list of 14 names hoping to be a part of the team. Monaghan said he only has a certain number of needs, so he only needs a certain number of men.
They range from Stan Hayduk, who is 90 years old, down to men in their forties. All of them are there for the same reason: they care about their community, and their families, both of which come together in the park-like St. John’s Cemetery.
Monaghan, 75, has lived his entire life in Garson and retired from Falconbridge Limited. He and his wife, Normina, have two grown children: Kerri, a principal with the Rainbow District School Board, and Mitchell, an underground miner with Glencore Canada. The entire family has had a hand in helping Monaghan with cemetery work and events.
Monaghan, one of eight children, also credits his parents, Gertrude and Herbert, but then once again defers to the work of his team, of the men who work with him through the spring and fall. Sudbury.com was there on the last night of their work, and watched as they drove donated lawnmowers and forklifts, covered beautiful benches in protective cloth, and ensured that all the memorials gardens were put to bed for the winter. Though there are usually more events than there have been recently, the pandemic prevented the fundraising barbecue they have, a community-wide celebration attended by locals and former locals who come back for a reunion, as well as the celebrations the men enjoy after a hardworking season. But John isn’t deterred, and is already planning events for 2022.
According to Monaghan, each member of the team makes their own decisions about how to maintain their own areas successfully, or based on their skill set - and what tools they bring, including saws, drills, blowers, or what they take home to their workshops.
“We have 31 areas of responsibility that need looking at, inspections and maintenance to keep all in good shape,” said Monaghan. “Our long range plan is to have each group handle four to five of these areas and be responsible for them by doing their checks and also be responsible for preparing for each job.”
And though the group normally takes the late summer off, the heat making it difficult to work, the backlog caused by the pandemic had them feeling like the cemetery would not be in the good and safe order that they pride themselves on.
And so, “our group agreed to work right through the summer allowing us to catch up with work details and leave the cemetery in good condition.”
And again, Monaghan focuses on his team, beaming while speaking of them. “The strength of the group comes from within the members and their attitude to be part of the group to make the cemetery a nice place to visit,” he said. “All of us are happy to be members and truly appreciate the positive remarks from the visitors that come to visit the cemetery.”
Monaghan said the cemetery brings more than 200 people a week visiting their loved ones.
Visitors appreciate the work so much that they often donate to the cemetery as well.
While Sudbury.com was visiting the cemetery with Monaghan, he stopped to speak to a couple whose loved one's burial service he had helped make possible, within the confines of the pandemic restrictions.
They had come back to thank him in person, and make a donation to the work they do.
Monaghan shows no signs of slowing down, and neither do the men on his crew.
They have added four new members recently, whose work skills Monaghan praises, with a nod to their special abilities: “three of them have First Aid Training,” he said. “Very important to an aging group.” He is excited to see what they will accomplish. “These four members will have lots to offer us over the next 10 years.”
In addition to the work he does at the cemetery, Monaghan has also authored a book in 2017 called, :The History and Story of St. John’s Cemetery,” in order to archive the stories, events, photos and anecdotes of the cemetery.
He also holds true to what he feels is the defining mission of the St. John’s Cemetery maintenance team: Keeping Tradition.
And though he would never admit it, and always defer to his team, the jewel of Garson that is St. John’s cemetery wouldn’t be there without John Monaghan.
