GALION, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—A longtime church member in town has spent decades honoring the faithful departed from his beloved parish.

Bill Burkhart, 83, has been creating wooden memorial crosses for the deceased members of St. Joseph Catholic Church for 25 years.  Symbols of healing and hope for the families they left behind.

And for half a century, Burkhart has been decorating the graves at Galion’s Mt. Calvary Cemetery, placing new American flags every year at the tombstones of fellow Knights of Columbus members, then collecting them after Veterans Day.

It’s been a labor of love.

“I just enjoy helping, volunteering, and helping people out, said Burkhart, who joined St. Joseph’s when he moved to Galion back in 1961 and the K of C organization shortly after.  “I do it just for charity.  I love to do it as long as I can do it.”

Burkhart took over the cross project from a friend and fellow parishioner, Roger Enright, who was losing his battle with cancer.  “I took him to Columbus for treatment and one day on the way back he said, ‘Bill, I can’t do it anymore.  Would you do this?’”

By January 2001, Burkhart was building 6” x 10” crosses in his garage workshop.  Personalized pieces of Poplar which, according to church tradition, hang in the back of the sanctuary until a service for All Souls’ Day when they’re given as keepsakes to the families.

That tradition was introduced to St. Joseph’s years ago by a former priest, Father Tony Borgia, who after a Catholic funeral Mass always accompanied the family to the back of the church and said a short prayer while they placed the cross on the wall.

The current priest, Father Paul Fahrbach, said the crosses and the Memorial Mass in November are special.  “This is my tenth year celebrating these masses.  They have always been moving memories and occasions of healing and hope promised by the Lord’s love and mercy.”

The church office, he said, notifies Burkhart when a parishioner dies.  Then he digs into his “stockpile” of crosses, generates the lettering on the computer, and after using a paper stencil and carbon paper for placement, burns the name on the front and date of death on the back.

He buys the lumber at Home Depot in 8-inch by 6-foot-long boards, then uses a table saw to cut the cross pieces and grooves necessary for the crossbar.  Once the two sections are glued together, he carefully routes the edges with an orbital sander.   

Burkhart said he typically makes 25 crosses at a time.  They’re stained and allowed to dry for a month, but he doesn’t spray on the four to five coats of varnish until after the lettering is painstakingly done by hand with the electric burning tool.

Over the years, Burkhart has made and donated 388 crosses to the church. He keeps a log.  “Bill has labored in producing these wonderful memorial crosses.  It’s going above and beyond,” Father Paul said.  “He’s such a good man.”

And this week, just like he has for 50 years, Burkhart will be back at the cemetery, stopping at 155 graves to collect the now wind-tattered flags from the aluminum holders bearing the K of C emblem.

Because his commitment to the church is also tradition.  And much like his handiwork, it’s stood the test of time.