St. Joseph Cemetery
The original St. Joseph Cemetery is located at the corner of Dexter Town Hall and Quigley Roads. Late in the nineteenth century, parishioner John Costello donated five acres at the corner of Baker and Dan Hoey Roads (2528 Baker Rd.) in Dexter which has been the active parish cemetery since.
Cemetery Policies
Rights of Burial
Individuals who are baptized Catholics and/or have family members interred in the cemetery are entitled to burial in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery and may purchase Rights of Burial. To clarify, the purchaser does not acquire actual ownership of the lot but the right to be buried in St. Joseph Cemetery at a designated location. The purchased rights are non-transferable without written consent from St. Joseph Cemetery. The Cemetery reserves the exclusive right to re-purchase the burial rights at the original price paid by the original lessor.
Each gravesite may have either one casket burial and one cremains burial, or two cremains burials. Vaults are required for caskets and but not cremains containers.
Grave Site Purchase Arrangements
The cost per grave is currently $700, with an additional one-time perpetual care fee. This fee may be paid at the time of purchase at the current amount ($300 presently) or at the time of burial at the rate then in effect. If the amount is paid at the time of purchase, there will be no additional charge if the perpetual care fee has gone up at the time of burial.
In order to purchase a grave, individuals can contact Liz Neil at the Parish Office, 734.426.8483, to set up an appointment to meet and go out to the cemetery to select a site. Sites are available in Block 6, which is in front of the altar and adjacent to Dan Hoey Road, as well as in Blocks 7 and 8 (which are behind the altar.)
Headstone and Military Markers
Monuments are placed at the head of the grave. For men and women who served in the United States armed forces, military markers can be (1) placed in lieu of a headstone;
(2) placed flush with the ground either at the foot of the grave or behind the headstone; or (3) mounted on the back of the headstone. (For more information on the US Veterans Administration program for military markers, click here.) Some veterans are eligible for reimbursement of the installation fee in the State of Michigan from the county VA office. The family must apply at the county VA office where the deceased was a resident. For deceased veterans of Washtenaw County, click here for information from the Washtenaw County Department of Veteran Affairs.
Prior to placing a monument or marker, a cement foundation is required. Cemetery personnel can place this; the cost is dependent upon the size of the monument. Contact Liz Neil in the Parish Office at 734.426.8483 to make arrangements. Alternatively, the family may choose to install the foundation themselves, but must make arrangements with the cemetery for size requirements.
Monuments for a single grave may be no more than 36″ long. For double graves, monuments are placed evenly at the head of the graves, and may be no more than 78″ long.
Grave Decorations
No other monument or stone may be placed on the grave site. Trees may no longer be placed as memorials at grave sites as the trees are difficult to mow around, and the roots can cause upheavals of monuments and can disturb the interred remains. Small plantings and memorials are permitted one foot (12”) in front of the headstone. No plantings are permitted at the foot of the grave.
Christmas and winter decorations are to be removed by April 30 for spring grounds maintenance at the cemetery.
Old Cemetery – List of Burials: Click here
List of Burials (Clicking on either of these links will take you away from the St. Joseph Parish website.)
Please Note: These Links Are Provided For User Convenience And For Information Only. These Are Independent Websites To Which We Have Not Provided Any Information. We Do Not Imply Endorsement Nor Guarantee Accuracy And Completeness Of Information Listed.
These may be of use for those interested in genealogical research however.
Click here for a link to another website, Interment.net, for a partial listing of burials in St. Joseph Cemetery.
Click here for a link to another website, FindAGrave.com, for partial information on burials in St. Joseph Cemetery.
Images from the Old St. Joseph Cemetery
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