WARRICK CO., IN (WFIE) -
A Warrick County resident says his last wish is to be buried in an old pioneer cemetery, but the location of the cemetery is a problem and that wish may not come true.
Gerald Phillips is facing a few obstacles. There is no longer a road that takes you to the cemetery and the township trustee, who now maintains the cemetery, says they probably wouldn't let anybody get buried there.
"It's a real small cemetery, but it means a lot to me," Phillips said.
After two open heart surgeries Phillips says he began to plan his own funeral.
He's already paid for his funeral arrangements and hopes his final resting place will be at Kissel Cemetery on Hachmeister Road.
"I know the cemetery doesn't look like much, but it doesn't make any difference I'm just a country boy and want to be buried in a country cemetery," Phillips told 14 News.
We can't show you what Kissel Cemetery looks like. Township Trustee Kevin Derr says even he needs permission from the property owners to get to the cemetery.
Derr says access to the cemetery is not the issue, it's the age of the cemetery. The last person buried there was in 1959 and Derr says they don't know where some of the bodies are buried in the two acre lot.
"Specifically with Kissel Cemetery, the cemetery is so far back in a grove of trees and it is so inaccessible as far as the township is concerned we would just as soon close the cemetery to additional burials so that we don't disturb anything from the past," Derr told 14 News.
The township manages 20 cemeteries, including the old Boonville cemetery and Derr says he wouldn't allow burials in most of them because of their condition.
"Stones are broken, we have a real hard time knowing who is buried where so we try to do our best to maintain the cemeteries and maintain the dignity of those resting places," said Derr.
Phillips says he's not giving up on his burial until the day he dies.
He says there is plenty of room at Kissel, he just needs the access road that was once there to be re-opened.
"If I got the roadway, I'd put my monument up there," Phillips noted.
Derr says by law, property owners with an old cemetery must allow family members to visit at least once a year.
Phillips says he will continue to press legislators to open the roadway that was once their making the cemetery accessible all year round.
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