Ward Cemetery
Official Site
Kelleys Creek Road Near Cedar Grove
Kanawha County, West Virginia
ABOUT THE WARD CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Incorporated July 30, 2014
Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization licensed to conduct business and fundraising in the state of West Virginia. The Committee's primary purpose is to to assist with the preservation and beautification of Ward Cemetery, and to provide a public service to the community and to family and friends who have loved ones interred at Ward Cemetery. Ward Cemetery is still an active burial ground and the final resting place of former Kelley's Creek Collieries/Valley Camp Coal Company employees, their families, and their descendants. Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee members are volunteers. The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee's preservation and beautification efforts are financially supported by families and friends of those interred in Ward​ Cemetery and by donations from the area's local residents and businesses. Without this support the Advisory Committee could not function and Ward Cemetery would become completely overgrown as there is no other organization, no owner, and no government agency charged with the care of the cemetery.
The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee is exempt from charitable solicitation registration in West Virginia. The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee does not employ a professional solicitor or fundraiser, and does not raise or receive contributions from the public in excess of $25,000.00 during a calendar year.
The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee, Inc., is NOT connected in any way to the former Ward Funeral Fund and Accident Association, Inc., which terminated September 18, 2000.
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All Committee members are unpaid volunteers.
All donations/fundraising money/cemetery fees collected are used to finance the care, beautification, and preservation of Ward Cemetery. These funds are managed by the Advisory Committee and used to pay for items such as weed eaters, weed eater string, mowers, equipment purchase/replacement, equipment repair/maintenance, gasoline, maintenance tools, tree and brush removal, fence repair, paying a cutting crew, etc., and major projects/repairs such as flood damage repair.
WARD CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE CHARTER MEMBERS
Mike Akers
Pat Allen
Vickie Atkins
Wanda Bass
Ruth Craigo
Valeda Crisp
Clayton Daniels
John Inghram
John B. Kidd
Wilma Kidd
Robert Phalen
Jan Richardson
Melba Shope
Sherry Smith
WARD CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
2023 ACTIVE MEMBERS
Sherry Smith
John Inghram
Wanda Bass
Pat Allen
Jan Richardson
CEMETERY INFO/GENERAL INFO
or phone
Sherry Smith
(304) 595-2919
M-F 9am-5pm
for general information.
Or use the
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BURIAL RECORDS INFO
Jan Smith Richardson
or phone
(304) 981-1116
M-F 9am-5pm
for burial locations and plot information.
Or use the
It there is no answer, please leave a message and
we will return your call as soon as possible.
MAILING ADDRESS
Ward Cemetery
c/o Sherry Smith
3012 Dorsey Drive
Belle WV 25015
or use the
WARD CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE WV CERTIFICATE OF EXISTENCE - CLICK HERE
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Ward Cemetery is a community cemetery whose community is now gone. In West Virginia, there is no state cemetery board or similar government agency responsible for the care and maintenance of community cemeteries. Some incorporated town/city governments maintain town/city cemeteries within their corporate limits, but Ward Cemetery is located in an unincorporated area of Kanawha County, West Virginia. Kanawha County records have been searched by several caretakers, courthouse staff, and an attorney, and no private owner of Ward Cemetery has ever been identified. Since there is no government agency or private owner responsible for the care of Ward Cemetery, Ward Cemetery would become totally overgrown if not for the work of the volunteers who are aided by donations. The cemetery volunteers perform a much needed public service. The cemetery consists of approximately twelve acres and it is expensive to maintain. The majority of committee funds are donated by the families and friends of those buried in Ward Cemetery with some funds and/or services donated by local area businesses. As the younger generations move away, and the older generations pass away, the pool of contributors is sadly becoming smaller and smaller.
The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee satisfies the annual IRS reporting requirement by electronically submitting the IRS Form 990-N e-postcard. The committee's financial records are open for public review upon request.
WARD CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE IRS INFORMATION - CLICK HERE
You can search using our Employer Identification Number (EIN) 47-1363922
MISSION STATEMENT
Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee shall exist to assist with the preservation and beautification of Ward Cemetery located on Kelly’s Creek near Cedar Grove in Kanawha County, West Virginia.
PURPOSE AND GOALS
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To assist the Ward Cemetery in continuing to serve the surrounding communities as an active burial ground, and to aid in the preservation of the fencing, buildings, and infrastructure of the cemetery for the primary purpose of providing a volunteer public service to family and friends who have loved ones interred at Ward Cemetery, and to provide a volunteer public service to the community as a whole.
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To assist with the beautification of the Ward Cemetery including mowing, planting, seeding, fertilizing, raking, pruning, and other activities related to caring for the grounds, in an attempt to provide a more accessible community resource.
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Please Note: Terraces, curbs, and similar structures, headstones, statues, and other grave monuments, are the personal property of the family who purchased them or built them. The family of the deceased is responsible for the installation, care and maintenance of these items. If you are the owner of a headstone, repairs and replacements may sometimes be covered by your homeowner's policy. The government will sometimes replace worn or damaged military headstones upon request of the family.
The smaller cemetery gates are always unlocked for visitors. However, due to past problems with theft, vandalism, and damage caused by off-road vehicles, the larger double gates will remain locked for the protection of the cemetery. If you need access through the locked double gates, please contact us IN ADVANCE OF YOUR VISIT to make arrangements for one of our volunteers to meet you to unlock the gates. You may email us at info@wardcemetery.com or
use our CONTACT FORM
​The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee members are volunteers who donate their time to serve on the committee. Ward Cemetery is an old community cemetery. It is NOT a perpetual care cemetery and there are no deeded plots. The cemetery is very old and depends on donations and volunteers to assist in its care and preservation. There is no private owner on record for Ward Cemetery and there is no one to care for the cemetery except for the volunteers. The volunteers do the best they can as time and funds allow.
Only so much can be accomplished with limited funds and limited volunteers. If the current volunteers abandon their work due to lack of funds, lack of support, or unwarranted criticism, the cemetery will become completely overgrown, as there is no one else to care for it. The care of the cemetery will revert back to each family being responsible for taking care of their own family graves as it was in times past.
If you are unhappy about the condition of the cemetery or think the length of the grass is unacceptable, you are invited and encouraged to attend the Advisory Committee Meetings, become a volunteer, and donate your time to help improve conditions. If you cannot attend the meetings or physically help with the work, donations are always appreciated, as the cemetery grounds cannot be maintained without sufficient funds.
If you have questions or need information about the Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee, please contact us by email at info@wardcemetery.com or use our CONTACT FORM.
The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit organization with public charity status.
This page was provided as a courtesy to the Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee.
