The City of Langley, Whidbey Island, Washington

City of Langley
PO Box 366
112 Second Street
Langley, WA 98260
(360) 221-4246

City Hall is open
to the public

Monday - Thursday
9 am to 5 pm

Friday
by appointment

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Cemetery Board

Gate to the Langley Cemetery The Langley-Woodmen Cemetery is located south of the central business district on Al Anderson Avenue. It is the oldest cemetery on South Whidbey, established in 1902 by the Woodmen's Lodge and maintained by them until the City of Langley incorporated as a municipality. In September of 1913 the Woodmen donated the cemetery to the town.

By the early 1990s, the cemetery had fallen on hard times. Areas were overgrown with wild berries, the City was able to provide only minimal maintenance, revenue had declined to almost nothing, the original section of the cemetery was almost full, and the City did not have funds to survey and plot out the new section. Seeing no other way out, the City decided to sell the cemetery in late 1995.

Memorials at the Langley Cemetery Faced with this possibility a group of citizens came together to work with the City in a way that allowed the historic graveyard to remain in public ownership. Volunteers raised funds, incorporated themselves as the Friends of the Langley-Woodmen Cemetery, and encouraged creation of the Cemetery Endowment Fund into which nearly half of all plot sales are deposited. Volunteers donated hundreds of hours for mowing, weeding, and making the cemetery look better than it had in years. These citizens did a wonderful service for the City, and the "Friends" continue to play an important role. Today the cemetery is a pleasant place to walk, to picnic, and to honor loved ones.

Memorial at the Langley Cemetery The cemetery is supported by a Cemetery Fund that receives revenue from the sale of plots, from taxes, and from private donations. These funds provide for regular maintenance and are used for improvements to the cemetery, to pay utilities, and to repurchase plots from private owners. A portion of these funds also is allocated to the Cemetery Endowment Fund that assures the perpetual maintenance of the cemetery. Click here for more information.

The Cemetery Board meets each month, usually on the 4th Tuesday at 4:30 pm at city hall. The Board makes recommendations to City Council as to landscaping regulations, cemetery policies, maintenance, budgeting, and the buyback of plots. In 1999 the Board was instrumental in persuading Council to approve a new road to access the new burial section containing 900 gravesites.

Communications to the Cemetery Board can be sent to cemetery@langleywa.org.

For information on Cemetery plots contact: Debbie Mahler, (360) 221-4246 x15

Members of the Cemetery Board:

Marilyn Strong, Chair

Marilyn Helsel

VACANT

Rene Neff

R. James Enslow

Cary Peterson

VACANT

Staff Assigned: Debbie Mahler

03/2013