About Us
Friendship Cemetery Association
FRIENDSHIP CEMETERY HISTORY
The Friendship Cemetery was established as a family and a community cemetery on land donated for this purpose by Isom and Arnetta “Mamie” Williams. The Williams family moved from Paris, Texas to Oklahoma County in the late 1800s and donated land to establish a community cemetery near Newalla, Oklahoma in Oklahoma County. For well over 100 years, this community cemetery has been used for the burial of original members of this community and their families.
The current parcel is 303.73 feet wide by 594.01 feet long for a total of 180,418 square feet or 4.13 acres.
TRUSTEES
The Friendship Cemetery Association was legally organized as a trust with Hughie Lambeth, Clovis Griffin, Maurice Holloway, and Elizabeth Olson appointed as trustees by the Cleveland County District Court.
GUIDELINES
Dues, fees and agreements
- The dues are $50 per year – minimum. Those with large families are encouraged to contribute more. Each family group should receive a receipt on payment stating their paid-up status.
- The cemetery fiscal year begins July 1.
- The dues provide for a family consisting of husband, wife, and their children under the age of 25.
- At the age of 25 or marriage, each member then becomes a separate family group.
- It is an individual member’s responsibility to yearly confirm that they are on the rolls and that their dues are paid.
- You must be a member at least four years with dues paid for the four years to be interred without additional cost.
- If you have not been a member for four years or more, the amount of $200 will be due at the time of need or for the reestablishment of membership.
- A member that is delinquent more than four years will be considered a non-member and must pay the non-member $1000 burial fee.
- One of the trustees must be contacted before opening or closing a grave in Friendship Cemetery. Opening and closing arrangements must be coordinated through a trustee or the cemetery director.
- Non-members that have family connections to paid up members may be buried for $1000 in addition to the opening and closing expenses.
- A family member and a trustee will select burial plot locations jointly. The trustee member will have the final say because he/she must insure the boundaries and layout plan of the overall cemetery.
- Style and placement of markers will be left to the family members. Each grave is expected to have some type of permanent marker in place within a year of interment.
- The Friendship Cemetery Association will maintain a consistent level of ground keeping and maintenance; however, volunteers are needed and will be requested for special events as needed to maintain proper care.
- The grounds will be cut at least four times a year. If a member desires a special cut, this request should be passed to the Trustees. Depending on the situation, the requester can expect to be billed for the cost of the special cutting.
- The above guidelines will go into effect as of the Memorial Weekend General Meeting 2005. All dues, fees, obligations and agreements made prior to that time by trustees will be “grandfathered.” Any member or family that is paid up by July 1, 2005, or paid up on death prior to that date, does not require a re-establishment fee.
- The Trustee Board can make adjustments to these guidelines if the situation requires.
OPERATIONS
Operations & Officers
The overall operation of the cemetery is under the control of the Friendship Cemetery Association. The Association is made up of family groups that are related to the original members of the Newalla Community.
Day to day operations will be controlled by the Friendship Cemetery Board of Trustees. Burials, cemetery maintenance, repairs, upkeep improvements will be managed by this group. The individual members of the Board of Trustees will be elected by the body for three-year terms. They may be re-elected for successive terms. The Board will also form the officers of the Association Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and at large. The Trustees will be elected by the association membership at the September Meeting. Other general membership meetings will be held bi-monthly or as directed by the Board of Trustees.
The Board of Trustees may choose to appoint a Cemetery Director to manage day to day operations. The Cemetery Director can be one of the board members or a member at large but will be accountable to the Board for responsibilities and actions.
Duties of Officers:
Chairman: The president will be the leader of the Association. He/she will set agendas for meetings and will officiate the same. The chairman is accountable for charting the general course of the cemetery and is generally accountable for the operations of the cemetery and the performance of other officers appointed during their reign. The president may appoint committees as he/she sees fit to deal with issues or to confront concerns as they come up.
Vice Chairman: The vice chairman is the principal assistant to the chairman and will act on behalf of the Association in the absence of the chairman. The vice president must remain knowledgeable on all facets so that he/she may take over in the absence of the chairman. The vice chairman will be responsible for coordinating the legal aspects of the cemetery establishment and operation and will act as an ombudsman.
Secretary: The secretary will be the keeper of the records of the Friendship Cemetery Association. He/she will maintain minutes of both trustee and general membership meetings. The secretary will also maintain an up -to-date roster of paid-up family groups. The roster must maintain a history of payments for at least three years. The Secretary will open and maintain a Post Office Box for receiving correspondence and payments. The secretary will provide a list of paid-up family groups at the Memorial Weekend General Meeting. The secretary will provide receipts to paid up family members.
Treasurer: The treasurer will maintain accountability of the monies of the Friendship Cemetery Association. After dues are paid to the secretary and annotated to the roster, monies will be passed to the treasurer for deposit. The treasurer will be prepared to give a financial report at any regular general meeting. The treasurer and the chairman will be the joint accountable signees on disbursements. The treasurer will maintain a checking account with no more than $2000 for day-to-day expenses. Money above the base $2000 shall be kept in an interest-bearing account. Movement of money out of the interest-bearing account must be by vote of the Trustee Board and generally should be for capital improvements, long term projects or replenishment of the checking account.
Contact Info
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11220 South Luther Road
NEWALLA, OK 74857 - (405) 401-4491
- (202) 486-8582
- info@FriendshipCemeteryNewalla.org
- U.S. Postal Service address
