THE CEMETERY:
Representatives of the First Mennonite Church and Mennonite
Brethren Church presented a memorandum to the citizens of Sardis on
October 20, 1947 regarding the purchase of a five-acre (actually 2
acres according to the current maps) plot to serve as a cemetery.
This land was situated at the west end of Watson Road and was given
the name, Greendale Cemetery. This proposed name was presented to
the municipal office for acceptance and confirmation. A cemetery
committee was chosen. A general meeting of interested people was
held November 22, 1947 to discuss the cemetery. Agreement was
reached that the recommendations presented by those present at the
October 20th meeting should be followed with one change: lot sizes
should be 20’ by 18’. Furthermore, it was agreed that
representatives from the churches should establish the
administration of the cemetery.
(Greendale Cemetery Memorandum, Oct. 20, 1947 and the
Greendale Cemetery minutes, Nov. 22, 1947)
http://www.mhsbc.com/news/v12n01/p10.htm
Oddly, the cemetery is actually not in the area normally
recognized as Greendale, but rather in the South Sardis area.
The cemetery is run for the whole community by a volunteer
cemetery board.
THE CACHE:
You are seeking a small Lock-n-Lock box (be sure you find the
right container) with a logbook, pencil and small gift for the FTF.
It can accept coins and small TB's. Rehide it carefully in the
exact same spot.
To solve the final location, note the Signage on the Gate. The
cache is located at:
N 49 09.C(F-E)C W 121 57.(A-B)AB
Where: This is the AB book in the Bible.
Let the chapter and verse be CD:EF
We also wondered what the verse says, so we looked it up for
you:
"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write,
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea,
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their
works do follow them." (KJV)
The perfect verse for a group of Bible believing, hardworking
farmers starting a cemetery.
Cachers might "Remember" the final spot from previous
adventures, including our first find when without a GPS yet we said
"I know where that is!" and got into this crazy sport.
INTERESTING TOMBSTONES/PERSONS:
We are not aware of any really famous people buried here, but it is
interesting to learn about a typical Greendale pioneer:
Johann J. Stobbe (1901-1947) was the first to be buried in the
Greendale Cemetery. He was killed in a tractor accident. His wife,
Maria (Berg) Stobbe, (1904-1978) is buried next to her husband. You
can find the Stobbe's in the SW corner. Johann and Maria Stobbe
immigrated to Canada in 1924, arriving in Quebec City, then
travelling by train to Rosthern, Saskatchewan. From Rosthern they
moved to Laird, and then to Blaine Lake where Johann was employed
on a Doukhobor farm for a few years. From here they moved to
Mullingar before moving to BC in 1941, where they eventually
purchased a farm on Chadsey Road, Sardis (later renamed Greendale).
(from a history by Henry Stobbe)
There are stones in German and Dutch as well as English
here.
THE RULES:
No need to go into the cemetery to get the info. This cache can be
done 24/7 and is a good night cache.
THE SERIES:
Please do not use the BC Spirit Quest name without coordinating
with us first to prevent confusion. Thank-you for joining the BC
Spirit Quest. Enjoy the history.