Cemetery Board

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.

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.

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 3rd Monday at 11:00 AM 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.

Members of the Cemetery Board:

AGENDAS

• Agenda - February 15, 2010
• Minutes - January 25, 2010
• Agenda - January 25, 2010
• Agenda - November 23, 2009

• Agenda - October 19, 2009
  • Green Burial Standards
• Minutes - September 21, 2009
• Agenda - August 18, 2009
• Agenda - June 22, 2009
• Agenda - January 19, 2009