LAKEVIEW CEMETERY – Hoath
(R.M. of Willow Bunch #42) – (1913 – 2021)
This burial site was given to R.M. of Willow Bunch #42, by Robert Bigham Hoath, in 1913. The Rural Municipality supplied the necessary funds for fencing and paint, and paid to have the cemetery registered with the Land Titles Office.
Lakeview Cemetery is situated — from Willow Bunch — seven and a half miles east on the bottom grid-road, then one and a half miles north on a side-road.
LAND LOCATION: the SW 1/4 of Sec. 17, Tp. 5, Rg. 26, W2nd, in the R.M. of Willow Bunch #42.
Mr. John S. Bradish, who died June 12, 1913, was the first person to be buried in Lakeview Cemetery. He was struck and killed by lightning while walking across his farmyard during a summer rain storm. Apparently Mr. Bradish had made a pact with a neighbour – if either of them died, the other would make sure that the deceased was buried in a Protestant Cemetery. And so it was, with the registration of this cemetery. The most recent burial in this cemetery is likewise listed in the Master File.
From its beginning, the Hoath church occupied the southwest corner of these same grounds (1913-1957). Hence many locals took to referring to the site, quite erroneously, as Hoath Cemetery. Not so! The original registered name “Lakeview Cemetery” remains unchanged. As for the Hoath Church, due to its dilapidated condition by the mid 1980s, it was very unfortunately deemed a liability and demolished.
Around 1950, Ernest George organized a project to plant trees around the cemetery. At that time, farmers could apply to the Department of Agriculture for trees to plant on their farms. A good number of farmers in the Hoath district asked for trees, and most of the 18 inch seedlings were planted in a double row along three sides of Lakeview Cemetery. A might deceitful, but, for a good cause.
The R.M. of W.B. #42 remained in charge of the site until October 22, 1956, when an association was formed to takeover management of the cemetery’s affairs. To this day, the United Church community continues to take good care of the cemetery and organizes annual clean-up work-crews.
Neil Montgomery, of Willow Bunch, is the current chairman of Lakeview Cemetery and the records are kept in the W.B. Rural Municipal/Town Office. Phone # 473-2302.
A listing of people buried in Lakeview is always accessible via the local Museum, Town Office, R.M. #42 Office, and on the Internet at www.willowbunch.ca .
In compiling this roster, the information on every headstone in the cemetery was checked in person on November 26, 1997, by Gilles A. Bonneau. All entries were further checked against the Lakeview Cemetery register, by George Montgomery and Mr. Bonneau, for accuracy and to include those people without a headstone/marker. The R.M. #42 cemetery records were also checked for possible missed entries, as well as Ross Funeral Home records, and any old newspaper clippings which certain individuals had gathered through the years.
Afterward, Mr. Bonneau and his brother, Janvier C. Bonneau, painstakingly typed in all the particulars for each entry, with Gilles doing the final editing.
Those people listed in the Master File with “Yes” by the notation “Site Marker:”, have a headstone/marker and their burial spot was located. All other people have no known headstone/marker and their burial spot was not found.
