The Borculo cemetery came into existence around 1876. The cemetery was owned by the Borculo Christian Reformed Church from its beginning. The land was purchased in small parcels at a time. The Borculo Cemetery is plotted out like many early cemeteries in America. The grave lots are laid out in an east-west direction. When the deceased are lowered into the ground, they are buried facing the East. This is a symbolic Christian tradition based on the expected return of Christ in the Eastern sky. (Matthew 24:27)
When Don VandenBosch stated earlier on this blog that whenever he walked through the Borculo cemetery and looked at all the markers of people he knew, the memories begin to flow. The same can be said for myself. My parents, grandparents, and great grandmother are buried there. And then there are the 16 uncles and aunts on my father’s side. I remember helping my dad dig many of the graves of people who lived in this community while he was the sexton for 41 years. I learned a lot about grief in those days. I believe the saddest days in the life of the Borculo community was during the year 1944, three young men from Borculo church were killed in action in World War II. During that year, the first casualty of the war was Simon Blauwkamp. He died on February 24, 1944. His body was buried in the Borculo cemetery on August 14, 1948. The next young man to die was Peter Gebben. He died on August 7, 1944, and his body was buried in the Borculo cemetery on October 1, 1948. Harold Gruppen died on October 13, 1944 and was buried on November 14, 1947. All three soldiers were buried in the soldier’s memorial plot. Memorial services were held shortly after they were killed in action. Funeral services were held in the Borculo Christian Reformed Church on the day they were buried. Arlyn Blauwkamp was killed in action during the Vietnam conflict on January 12, 1968 and is also buried in the soldier’s plot of the cemetery. The soldier’s plot is part of the Batema addition to the cemetery.
Bob Essenburg