Cemetery Open House Sept 21, 2025 & Oct 5, 2025
The Victoria Beach Cemetery Board of Trustees has been very busy throughout 2025 on various projects that will have a profound and positive impact on future cemetery management and operations. Read on to see what we have been up to!
A sizeable effort was made in 2025 to convert cemetery records from paper format into electronic format. This was no small feat as it involved a thorough review and organization of all paper-based cemetery records, multiple onsite visits to the cemetery cross checking for accuracy and gathering & recording headstone data.
This endeavor was done for a number of reasons but most notably to
consolidate several books of record into one accurate and complete book of record
safeguard cemetery records by reducing the risk of data loss with electronic storage and cloud backup services
increase accuracy and consistency of plot ownership and burial data
provide ease of access to cemetery records for all board members to enable more efficient and accurate service to the public
make transition of information to future board trustees seamless
Along with the above "audit" effort, work was completed to create a "virtual office" so to speak. This involved establishing central electronic storage for cemetery documentation, the creation of cemetery email addresses and the building of a general website.
Now board members are enabled with access to information and records necessary to serve the public. Instead of one person having the one paper based record book, we all have access, making it much easier to share duties and to better serve the community.
Giving the public a means to communicate with cemetery board members via email has increased access to the community to ask questions and make arrangements for burials and monuments. We are working on establishing a central phone number as an alternative to providing personal board member phone numbers so that board trustees can maintain personal privacy and share the role of being central point of contact. There are some technological hurdles, small ones, but we are working on providing a phone number in a cost effective manner...stay tuned!
Building a website has been a learning opportunity! We hope you find it useful and informative.
A vendor search was also done to select a cemetery management software tool that could be used going forward to record, update and store plot purchase and burial data making for easier and more accurate plot administration. In addition, having accurate plot maps is vital when board members are out at the cemetery locating and marking plots for burials, and the new software has made our maps "come to life" via interactivity, automatic updating and "at a glance" determinations of plot availability. The maps which also provide online navigation on any smartphone will also make it easier for members of the community and cemetery visitors to have a birds eye view when touring the cemetery or when determining which plot they would like to purchase.
All work was completed with the dedication of our volunteer board members who have put countless hours into these projects to ensure the long term viability and safe keeping of the Victoria Beach Cemetery. We are excited about these transitions and have enjoyed the work and getting to know each other in the process. Thank you to ALL!!!
Be sure to check out our events page for upcoming cemetery events.
Sincerely,
Gaye Glowacki
President, Victoria Beach Cemetery
View the cemetery using an interactive map to determine plots available for sale
Access headstone information online which will also be available for genealogy searches from other sites
Search for deceased via an interactive map of the cemetery, drill down to headstone information and posted memoirs
Publish family stories, memorials & historical information associated with a deceased's headstone information
We are especially excited about the prospect of Victoria Beach families having a central place to publish and view historical articles, family stories, memoirs & memorials. The history of our cemetery captured at the cemetery gates is an important community legacy. If it weren't recorded in a central public place, how many of us would even be aware of it? All of the history contained within our small peninsula is vast and rich, with many anecdotes, stories, facts and dates being shared in various places or on social media but wouldn't it be valuable to have them in one place too? Soon this will be possible and we hope you will help us to build those stories for future generations.
Stay tuned for more to come about the online portal!