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Dick Gerkowski places a flag at a veteran’s grave
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — The Veterans Memorial Club of Ludington, more commonly known as the Cemetery Club, placed US flags on the graves of veterans today at Lakeside Cemetery and Pere Marquette Catholic Cemetery. The handful of volunteers, all military veterans, are part of a tradition that began just after World War I.
The Cemetery Club was started in 1919 by Ludington dentist and World War I veteran Andrew E. Rasmussen (1890-1974) who decided to help James S. Harrington (1843-1925), a Civil War veteran, decorate the graves of Civil War veterans. Prior to this, the responsibility fell on the Pap Williams Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans organization that served veterans who served the Union military during the Civil War.
After Harrington’s death, Dr. Rasmussen worked alone, appointed by the commander of the Ludington American Legion post. Rasmussen started to decorate the graves of veterans of other wars and asked for the help of four other World War I veterans, Albert E. Johnson, Owen J. Gavigan, Herbert F. Washatka, and Peter R. VonSprecken. The five formally incorporated the group as the Veterans Memorial Club in 1934.
Joe Caudill, left, and Gary Ferguson salute World War I veterans.
The group’s lineage is small and its membership is exclusive. One must be invited in and participants must be U.S. Armed Forces veterans. At one time, the exclusion included the stipulation of being a combat veteran, but that is no longer the case.
Following Washatka and VonSprecken’s deaths, Eugene Christman and Harry Eastman, World War II veterans, took their places. In 1957, Leonard J. Gavigan, also a World War II veteran, took his father’s place.
Following Rasmussen’s death, his son Jack Rasmussen, a World War II veteran replaced him. He was replaced by Gary Ferguson, a Vietnam War veteran, in 2018.
Albert Johnson was replaced by Shirley Myers who was then replaced by Ornan Myers. Today, Milan “Budde” Reed II, a Vietnam War veteran, holds the honor.
Vonsprocken was replaced by Eugene Christman who was then replaced by Milan “Bud” Reed, a World War II veteran. Reed’s son, Todd (and brother of Budde), a Coast Guard veteran who served during Vietnam until the Persian Gulf wars, now has the honor.
Eastman was replaced by World War II/Korea/Vietnam veteran By Higgins. Today, Father Mick Shriver holds the honor.
Kerry Gavigan serves as the third generation of his family.
Todd Reed salutes a veteran’s grave.
The group also consists of more members now, because there are many more graves. Those members include Dr. Rick Plummer, Dick Gerkowski, Tad Reed, Jeremy Verstraete, Joe Caudill, and Mike Fisher.
Lakeview Cemetery includes graves from veterans of every U.S. war with the exception of the Revolutionary War. The grave of Sherborn K. Hutchison (1796-1876) honors the sole War of 1812 veteran in Lakeview Cemetery. Other veterans served during the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf wars.
In 1957, there were 500 veterans’ graves in Lakeview and Pere Marquette cemeteries. In 1968, 654; 2001, 1,525; 2012, 2,2130; 2024, 2,351.
Cemetery Club member Budde Reed is quick to recognize that the two cemeteries are among the 34 cemeteries in Mason County. While the Cemetery Club has the oldest tradition, the other cemeteries are also decorated by volunteers from each of the townships and the City of Scottville. In all the cases, the U.S. flags are purchased by the county and the markers are purchased by the U.S. government. Reed also thanked the cemetery sextons for their assistance.
Budde Reed stops for a salute after placing a flag on a grave.
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