People tend to think the cemetery is a spooky and eerie place. In reality, the cemetery is a serene place of comfort for many grieving loved ones. When local residents think about final resting places, their mind generally turns to the Altus City Cemetery on Falcon Road at Veterans Drive. And there is one man charged with tending the graves of Altusans who have passed on - cemetery sexton Freddy Perez.
Perez' job consists of supervising all operations of Altus City Cemetery and the historically black cemetery across the road to the east. He sells property to the people, helps with all graveside services and memorials. He also is there to help loved ones find where relatives or friends are buried.
Perez remembers the Miranda family from California very well. The Miranda couple were migrant workers in the Altus area in the 1960's. They were very poor immigrants who had just brought their firstborn son, Pedro, into the world in September 1964. But Pedro died six months later due to complications from a fever. Because they had no money, Pedro's grave had to be left unmarked. Mr. Miranda promised his wife one day they would come back to Altus to buy Pedro a head-stone and visit his grave.
Perez began his career at the cemetery a little over a year ago, trained by retiring Skeet Fixico who had been cemetery sexton for the previous 13 years. Perez and Fixico were soon contacted not long after by the Miranda family. They helped the family locate Pedro's plot and the Mirandas' daughter (who had become a doctor) bought Pedro's beautiful new headstone.
"I love what I do," said Perez. "It's very pleasing to work with people - I'm a people person."
The Mirandas came back to Altus this past summer and had a family picnic beside Pedro's grave. They also thanked Perez and Fixico for their help and even brought them T-shirts from California.
There is so much history at the cemetery, it's hard to know where to start. There are 10 to 12 "baby lands" in the cemetery. The original portion of the cemetery is in the north-east corner, closest to the intersection. In that "baby land" is buried the oldest known body - that of French Myrtle, a baby girl born Sept. 14, 1890 and buried Feb. 28, 1891 - which makes the cemetery well over 100 years old.
"The older stones are more unique than the newer ones," said Perez. They appear to have more artistic detail and were all hand-crafted. One original "baby land" head-stone reads "Weep not papa and mama for me - For I am waiting in heaven for thee."
"I've been here over a year and I still find new things all the time," he said. "I'll remember that one from now on."
Although Perez' job might sometimes seem unbearable (he even had to bury a co-worker there this past year), he relies on his faith in God to see him through.
"You've just got to ask God for strength every day to help get you by," he said. "It makes my job easier to help people while they are grieving."
There are many "unknowns," or unidentified graves, in both the original baby land section and the black cemetery across the road.
The black cemetery was established during segregation. The Veterans of Foreign Wars has placed a monument there in honor of black veterans. Perez said they no longer sell plots in this cemetery because they do not want to disturb the unmarked graves.
"Recordkeeping was bad back then," said Perez. "It's very difficult and sometimes impossible to know where there are bodies buried."
The city cemetery also has a Veteran's Garden. The VFW has purchased land in which veterans are buried at no charge. The cemetery's four flagpoles greet the stream of cars traveling Falcon Road to the Altus Air Force Base main gate.
The city is also in the process of planning to build a Centennial Memorial which will provide families with a place to hold services. Construction of the project is scheduled to be complete by 2007 when Oklahoma's centennial will be celebrated.
Perez has been living in Jackson County for 19 years. He and his wife, Esther, have four children: 12-year-old twins Freddy, Jr. and Kenny, 6-year-old Nicholas and 11/2 year-old Sarah.
In the end, Perez says that helping people in a vulnerable time keeps him going.
"It's heartbreaking sometimes," said Perez, "but I enjoy what I do,"
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