The Brighton and Fort Lupton Knights of Columbus meet with Bill Knox. Left to right back, Chris Lubahn, Mario Castillo, Antonio Lucero, and George Rangeo. Left to right front; Bob Heumann, Clark Musser, Cesar Espinoza, Bill Knox, Joe Hogelin and Bob McClaren.

A group of relatives and members of Knights of Columbus have stepped forward to help care for an aging graveyard northwest of Fort Lupton.

Bill Knox, 93, a neighbor of the abandoned St. Francis Volmar Cemetery near Fort Lupton, said he’s spent many years caring for the cemetery, trimming weeds and picking up trash. His grandson, Andrew Mockerman has been helping him to clean up the cemetery, too, Knox said. 

“What we are doing is digging all the sand out around the perimeter, and the fence is buried on the west side with three feet of sand, so we have to haul it away,” Knox said. 

Knox even managed to take over the deed in his effort to locate a family, neighbors or a willing volunteers to care for the forgotten plot.

Now that effort has been paid off.

News of Knox’s search for relatives came to the attention of Fort Lupton and Brighton Knights of Columbus who have stepped forward to help him take on the project and help preserve and care for the cemetery. 

St. Francis Volmar Cemetery with about 35 to 40 people buried there with weeds covering most of the graves.
It’s located between Weld County Roads 21 & 23.

Credit: Bill Knox

“If the Knights of Columbus takes it on as a project. It’s going to be great,” Knox said. “So, one thing led a person to another, and Trudy Wise from Fort Lupton has a lot to do with it and was the first one who came out to see the cemetery after the newspaper article.”

Knox said Dr. Holly Norton from the State Archeologist is working on trying to find a grant to bring in the Ground Penetrating Radar machine that can search for buried bodies. 

Rallying the Knights

Cesar Espinoza with the Brighton Knights of Columbus said he was talking to his aunt and asking her why the St. Francis Volmar cemetery was so unkempt. The tiny memorial markers are regularly hidden behind giant tumbleweeds as tall eight feet. It’s an ugly place, he said. 

“The last time I went to the cemetery was 20 years ago when my grandfather died. He used to go out there every year to clean my grandmother’s grave site, but then he passed away, and nobody else went out after that,” Espinoza said. “I told my aunt, I’m going to look into it and see if I could bring the Knight to Columbus to help revitalize that cemetery.”

Espinoza said while speaking to a priest in Fort Lupton, a church secretary, overheard their conversation and suggested he check with Mr. Knox.

“She said, he’s investigating that cemetery, and there’s a chance that he might be getting a grant to help him fix that it,” Espinoza said. 

Knox said he met Espinoza and his Aunt Teresa Garcia, who also lives in Volmar, at the cemetery after he had cleaned it off.

“We started talking about the cemetery and Cesar brought up the subject he belonged to Knights of Columbus and would love to get involved with the project,” Knox said. “So, he invited me to come and talk to the people.”

Knox said the meeting warmed his heart. An office manager at Fort Lupton St. Williams Catholic Church had already been talking to the Fort Lupton Knights about the cemetery and Mr. Knox’s plans.

Fort Lupton Knights of Columbus member Joe Hogelin said he met Espinoza.

“So, a couple of days later, three of us drove out to the site and looked around the cemetery,” Hogelin said. “We felt that we should team up with our brothers, the Knights in Brighton, and make a big group effort to help restore this cemetery because it is sacred ground; people are buried there and they need to be.

“It just needs to be cleaned up, and this is part of what the Knights are all about. And we are so happy to be involved with the Brighton Knights of Columbus council to help remedy the situation to make it look better as it should be.”

His Brighton compatriots agreed.

“I am very pleased; this is a nice project, and it helps us connect with the community, you know, both the past community and the future community, so it will bring everyone together. It’s a great thing to do, so looking forward to it,” said Brighton Knight of Columbus Clark Musser. 

Ruth Ann Garcia, another relative of Espinoza, said that her grandfather and several cousins are buried at St. Francis Volmar Cemetery. 

“Unfortunately, my older relatives have passed already, and they’re not buried out there. But you know, it’s hard to get that information, but I do know for sure my grandfather is buried there. My husband Raymond’s mom is also buried at St. Francis Cemetery.”

Espinoza is originally from Ventura, California but his family is originally from Volmar. 

“My mom was born in Volmar in 1931. She would have been the same age as Mr. Knox and passed away about four years ago,” Espinoza said. “She went to school with Mr. Knox at the same schoolhouse and my grandmother’s Elvira Torrez was buried at St. Francis in 1957. She married Pedro Garcia, and they’ve lived there since the early 20s.”

Espinoza said his grandfather Garcia lived in a house in Volmar at the end of a hill facing east where the railroad used to go through.

“My mom says all the migrants who farmed the sugar beets would come on the train, and they would dump sugar beets on the train,” he said. “There used to be 70 families that lived in Volmar, and it was my grandfather who gave them half a lot of land for them to build the church there, La Sagrada Familia, the holy family church. It was my uncles that built it until it finally fell in about 1995.”

Moving forward

Espinoza said the Knights are in the planning stages, but are confident they project has the council’s backing.

“I brought it up to the council, because we are a Catholic fraternal men’s organization, and it’s a Catholic cemetery, they want to get behind it, and help Mr. Knox facilitate it, through donations,” he said. “Whatever we raise in donations, it’s going to go directly to Mr. Knox and the cemetery. The Brighton and Fort Lupton Knights Council are going to match the funds so that it doubles, triples his funds.”

If interested in donating to preserve the cemetery contact Cesar Espinoza, the Brighton Knights of Columbus at 303 659-0661. They are located at 1096 East Bridge St. in Brighton.

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