Author: Jessica Smithers

Become a Volunteer

Jessica Smithers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you interested in giving back to our community?

Are you interested in serving as a community outreach event partner, helping to plan annual outreach events? 

Do you enjoy gardening and working outdoors?

Are you looking to obtain volunteer hours?

Do you want to learn more about the historic Davis Cemetery District?

If you answered yes to any other of these questions, the Davis Cemetery is the right place for you! Whether you’re an avid gardener looking for a place to display your work, a high school student looking for an extracurricular activity, or a community member looking to obtain community service hours, the Davis Cemetery welcomes you to volunteer year-round.

For more information regarding volunteer opportunities, please complete the form below or email jess@daviscemetery.org.

Veterans Day Ceremony

Jessica Smithers

 

Due to COVID-19, the District has made the difficult decision to modify this year’s celebration, keeping health and safety our highest priority.

While we will not be hosting a formal Veterans Day program, the Davis Scouting groups have graciously volunteered to help honor our Veterans by placing flags. Individual flags, along with our internal roadway flags will be placed Wednesday, November 11th, and removed Thursday, November 12th.

Annual Wreath Fundraiser

Jessica Smithers

Family and friends of loved ones can order a holiday wreath to be placed on a grave or displayed at your home. 22″ fresh Noble Fir wreath will be sold for $25 each. All proceeds will go to the continuous care and restoration of our beautiful cemetery. Orders will be accepted while supplies last.

 

For those looking for another way to recognize a loved one during the holiday season, we can place a solar lantern, suspended from a shepherd’s hook, graveside through the month of December. Lanterns are $25 each and will be moved after January 1st.

 

Orders can be placed by calling (530) 756-7807 or emailing jess@daviscemetery.org or judy@daviscemetery.org

 

Dia de los Muertos

Jessica Smithers

2019 Event Details

11:30am Altar Viewing and Pan Dulce

12:00pm Danza by Adelita Serena and Kalpulli Tlayolotl

12:30pm Calling Ancestors

1:00pm Mariachi Puente and Mariachi Del Valle

Ven honrar a los antepasados y seres queridos, que se han cruzado al mundo de los espiritus, en este aminado evento comunitario con Danza Mexica, arte, poesia, chocolate con pan dulce, y musica.

Come honor ancestors and loved ones who have crossed into the spirit world at this lively community event with Danza Mexica, art, poetry, chocolate with pan dulce, and music. Altars will be displayed.

ON SALE NOW: EASTER PLANT SALE

Jessica Smithers

Family and friends of loved ones buried at the Davis Cemetery can order a special potted plant to be placed on their gravesites this Easter.

Each arrangement will feature a hand-painted Easter egg pot complete with lilies and carnations. These cheerful seasonal blooms are a symbol of friendship and true love for those who cannot be with us. Arrangements will be placed on the graves on April 1st.

Proceeds from the project will go to the continuous care and restoration of the historic community cemetery at 820 Pole Line Road.

Easter pots will cost $15.00 each or two for $20.00 and may be purchased by check, cash, or credit card.  

We will begin taking orders March 4th until all pots have been sold. Orders may be placed by email at jess@daviscemetery.org or by phone at 530-756-7807.

Davis Cemetery Veteran’s Day Ceremony @ 11am

Jessica Smithers

The Davis Cemetery District, in collaboration with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VRW) Post 6949 in Davis, is hosting its annual Veterans Day Remembrance on Sunday, November 11, 2018 at 820 Pole Line Road.  Please join this remembrance of those men and women who have served in the military, defending and protecting the United States.

The Davis Brass Ensemble begins playing at 10:30 am.  The formal part of the program starts at 10:50 am with an explanation of the Bells of Peace, followed by the posting of the colors by the UC Davis ROTC, and vocal performances from Carol Kessler and the Davis High School Madrigal Choir.

Speakers include VFW Post 6949 Commander Jay Brookman, Davis City Council Member Dan Carson, and Superior Court Judge David Rosenberg. The program also includes a poetry reading by Andy Jones and opening and closing prayers by Rod Layman, chaplain of VFW Post 4969.

Memorial Day Ceremony Monday, May 28th

Jessica Smithers

Memorial Day Ceremony
Monday, May 28th 10:00 a

The Davis Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6949 and the Davis Cemetery District will host its annual Memorial Day ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday, May 28th, at the Davis Cemetery & Arboretum, 820 Pole Line Road. The Davis Brass Ensemble will perform a medley of patriotic music from 9:30am-10:00am. The Memorial Day program will be from 10:00am-12:00 pm.
Davis Boy Scouts , Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts will place the flags on the graves of veterans early that morning and pick them up that evening.
The ceremony will feature the Davis Brass Ensemble, Davis Children’s Chorale and the Davis High School Madrigals, Carol Kessler, Davis Poet Laureate Dr. Andy Jones, an introduction by Mayor Pro-tem Brett Lee and the keynote speaker will be Jerry Coker.

The son of a career soldier, Jerry Coker lived in the Midwest and Alaska until his father retired from the Army and settled in California. In 1968 Jerry enlisted in the US Marine Corps one week after high school graduation, serving as a rifleman in South Vietnam with the Second Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment. In the spring of 1969 he was severely wounded from grenade fragments during night operations in Quang Nam Province, southwest of Danang City.

After a lengthy recovery in Japan and stateside, Jerry returned to school, married his girlfriend, Jan, and began to write fiction. He earned degrees from UC Davis in English Literature and the Brown University Graduate Writing Program, returning to California in the late 70s to begin a diverse career that began at UC Davis. At UCD he served as a recruiter, publications writer and editor. In his corporate career he served as a marketing manager, researcher, business proposal manager and contract administrator. He later served as a management consultant, high school English teacher, and was the owner of an Information Technology staffing augmentation consulting firm with State and Federal Clients.
During these nearly forty years in Davis, he shared the raising of their two boys, Nathan and Drew with Jan, a musician and long-time Davis elementary school teacher. After the boys left their hometown to find their own path, both serving in Iraqwith the Marines and then eventually returning to the area with their own wives and now grandchildren, Jan and Jerry realized their small part in the full circle of life, and how precious that participation is.

He is author of two World War II historical fiction novels, First Among Men (2013, Pocol Press), about the 1943 invasion of Attu Island in the Aleutians of which his father participated; and Into the Wet (2015, Black Rose Writing and 2017, Pocol Press second printing), about the 1942 campaign of the Japanese Army to take New Guinea from the Australian Army, known as the battle for the Kokoda Trail.

I
We will be in need of volunteers to aid in the handing out of programs and the removal of flags later in the afternoon.  The Veterans of Foreign Wars is accepting monetary donations.

Please contact cemcod@dcn.org if you would like to help.

History Tours

Jessica Smithers
Enjoy a stroll through history one of our Davis Cemetery District History Tours.

The historic cemetery district is offering guided history tours on our beautiful grounds. We will share the stories of the pioneer families and individuals who have shaped our city into what it is today.   We will also discuss the meaning of and changes to gravestone symbols from Victorian times to the present.

Tours will take about a 1 hour. Wear comfortable shoes. Guided cart tours are available but will be limited to three individuals.
Contact Jess Smithers at jess@daviscemetery.org or call 530-756-7807 to schedule an appointment.

Historic J Section – ON SALE NOW

Jessica Smithers

J Section Expansion – ON SALE NOW

The Davis Cemetery District is pleased to announce we have added a new expansion section to our beautiful cemetery. Originally gifted to the catholic Church in 1874 by Mrs. I.S. Chiles, J section is a cornerstone of the cemetery. While the District does not inter by religion, J section is known as the historic catholic section. The new plots are beautifully shaded by a mature Japanese Zelkova which is surrounded by miniature roses, African daisies, and Foxtail ferns. This section offers both casket and large cremation plots and will accommodate cremation, standard, green, and titan burials.

Stop by 820 Pole Line Road or call (530) 756-7807 to reserve your plot(s) today. The Davis Cemetery offers a pre-need program and fiscal year financing options. Entering into a pre-need contract is the best way to assure your burial wishes are followed.

J Section Expansion Pricing

$2,500 Casket Plot (Plot and Endowment)

$1,400 Large Cremation Plot (Plot and Endowment)

 

WE ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

The Davis Cemetery District is pleased to announce that we have broken ground on a section expansion which will bring 68 new casket plots and 12 double cremation plots to our historic J section. Under direct supervision of the Grounds Foreman, Matt Ries, our grounds crew has been demolishing an old hearst turnaround pad to make way for the new plots in the highly desirable historic section of the cemetery. Dylan Weiss is managing backhoe operations while Daniel and Sawyer are the eyes and muscle on the ground as the concrete is pulled in sections and placed in concrete recycling containers. A big thank you to Recology for being so accommodating with our concrete disposal schedule.

July 24th UPDATE

The J section expansion is coming along nicely. Our dedicated grounds crew have rerouted irrigation and graded the area. We will be seeding the plots over the next week and are on track to begin selling the plots September 1, 2019.

August 8th UPDATE

 

The grass is coming in nicely and we are on schedule to open sales September 1, 2019.

August 21st UPDATE

The Board reviewed an initial pricing structure proposal on August 21st and will set pricing at the September 18th meeting. Plots will be available for sale beginning October 1, 2019.