On January 31, Jacksonville lost an icon when the mainstay of the Jacksonville Historic Cemetery, Dirk Siedlecki, passed away after a short illness. How this Long Island, New York man ended up in Jacksonville and developed a passion for and commitment to our historic Cemetery is an inspiring story and worthy of celebration.

Dirk was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on June 26, 1945, but in 1951 the Siedlecki family moved to Long Island, New York where Dirk attended school through high school. Soon after graduation young Siedlecki went to work for TWA in New York, launching a multi-job career in the airline business. Early on he took special notice of a young woman in his office named Mary, who, in 1974 would become his wife. At the time, TWA had a no-dating policy for officemates, but Mary remembers, “Everyone in the office knew the policy, and they also knew we were dating, but nothing was said.” To avoid conflict, Mary transferred to a job in Palo Alto, California, resulting in a coast-to-coast courtship.

After Dirk and Mary were married, Dirk secured a transfer to California, and they settled briefly into California life, until a promotion took Dirk back to New York. Mary stayed on for a year before joining Dirk. Eventually Dirk left TWA for Tower Air but, tiring of airline work, Dirk and Mary moved back to the San Francisco. There he honed his acknowledged people skills with Cities Group, a provider of personnel services for Bay Area cities. Dirk retired from there in 2000.

Wanting to avoid retirement in California, Dirk and Mary began exploring possibilities in Oregon, starting in Portland and investigating south along the I-5 corridor. While considering Ashland or Grants Pass, they heeded the advice of a San Francisco friend and visited Jacksonville. Over lunch, they concluded that they could live here. After lunch they adjourned to a real estate office and soon moved to their Jacksonville home on Vintage Circle. Soon after they met Ruth Root, unofficial promoter of everything Jacksonville. As Mary remembers, “Ruth was insistent that the first thing we needed to do was to join the Jacksonville Boosters Club, and you didn’t say no to Ruth.” Dirk and Mary became active Boosters, with Dirk in charge of yard sale donations and as the consummate salesman at the Club’s annual, fund-raiser Yard Sale.

In 2001, fellow Booster, Stan Lyon, asked Dirk to go with him to a City-wide cleanup day at the Jacksonville Cemetery. Finding but three other volunteers present, Stan suggested that this could be a good Booster Club project. Dirk became the leader of the Booster Club Cemetery Committee. Under his guidance, the cleanup days grew to three, and the support from the Boosters and community members increased dramatically. By 2006, the Boosters Cemetery project, under Dirk’s direction, had taken on a life of its own. An intensive cemetery inventory by volunteers was undertaken to verify who was buried and where. In the process, unmarked and incorrectly-marked graves and lost markers were discovered and the need for extensive restorations determined. It also became painfully clear that funding was needed to supplement the meager amount available from the Jacksonville City budget.

In 2008, with the Cemetery’s needs requiring its own focus and beyond the Boosters Club’s abilities, Dirk, assisted by Boosters Stan Lyon and Don Cady, created a new non-profit organization: The Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery (FOJHC). FOJHC, the principal, private fund-raiser for the Cemetery, has had only one president—Dirk. Under Dirk’s leadership, FOHJC’s list of accomplishments is long and impressive. The completed inventory, in digital form, updated the city’s records. The ancient Sexton’s Tool House received a much-needed paint job. Dedicated wood benches were placed throughout grounds. New interpretive panels were installed in each section.

Then came the creation of the Interpretive Center, the publishing of brochures, including guide maps, a history of Civil War veterans buried in the Cemetery as well as one explaining the burial spots of Chinese residents who were once an integral part of Jacksonville. More recently a pavilion was installed, featuring a large cemetery map to assist visitors in locating gravesites, keyed to new location markers purchased and placed throughout the cemetery. Recently, the ornamental entrance gate was completely refurbished using early 20th century photos to assure authenticity. And, of course, restoration of tilting monuments and sunken and deteriorated stonework has continued.

Seeking increased citizen interest and involvement, Dirk initiated numerous hands-on projects. For nearly 14 years, he penned a monthly column in the Jacksonville Review, “Silent City on the Hill,” to keep everyone informed on cemetery projects… never missing a deadline! He became an expert at marker cleaning, allowing him to train others to renovate grave markers and monuments. His Marker Restoration and Marker Cleaning Workshops were so popular and well attended that, to date, more than 1,200 stones have been cleaned. Under Dirk’s direction, with Boosters Club help, the “Adopt a Block” program was created for volunteers to take on (adopt) the clearing, weeding and general care of neglected Cemetery blocks during the year. Today, over 200 volunteers are involved in this extremely successful program. It is no exaggeration to say that the Cemetery’s vast improvements and, indeed, its preservation, would not have been accomplished without Dirk Siedlecki’s inspiration and leadership.

And, like a television infomercial goes, “Wait, there’s more.” Dirk and FOJHC sought increased public appreciation of the history in and around the Cemetery. Inspired, in part, by a nearby city’s similar production, the hugely popular “Meet the Pioneers” program began in 2006 and featured costumed actors recreating the lives of local pioneers in the Cemetery to sellout audiences ever since. In addition, other Dirk-inspired programs emerged, including the Tuesday Cemetery Stroll and History Saturday historical talks and walks, held once a month May through September. Prior to Memorial Day volunteers place American flags on the graves of all Veterans buried in the Cemetery. The flags are removed after Veterans Day.

While presiding over FOJHC, Dirk chaired the Jacksonville Cemetery Commission where he was largely responsible for establishing the current Cemetery rules and regulations and the overall City maintenance of the Cemetery property. His leadership encouraged the City to acquire additional, adjacent land to meet the future Cemetery needs. For eight years, he served on the Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries. He gave frequent power point presentations on topics related to the Jacksonville Historic Cemetery to other historical and civic groups and service clubs.

In all of his cemetery work, wife Mary was his main assistant and unfaltering companion. Meet the Pioneers should have the credit: “A Dirk and Mary Siedlecki Production.” While Mary might rightly chide Dirk for spent hours and days at the Cemetery, they loved and managed exciting travel, voyaging to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, China and his beloved Ireland. Their favorite, local retreat was their Sunriver, Oregon condo where Mary relaxed while, unsurprisingly, Dirk was constantly fixing something.

As news of Dirk’s passing circulated around our town, some understandable accolades arrived:

Rob and Lori Buerk, who worked with Dirk on many projects and were at one time Dirk and Mary’s neighbors in Jacksonville wrote: “Dirk’s humble nature as a soft-spoken volunteer resulted in so many enhancements to our community over the past 20 years; a true example of leadership through teamwork and acceptance of all.”

Dirk’s brother, Lee, relates: “Dirk was Mr. Organization. I did cemetery work with him for nine years and what a wonderful time I had working with my brother. He had great vision.”

Longtime friend and co-Booster, Steve Casaleggio remembers: “Dirk was always working so hard and being so involved, but never really asking, so when he mused, “Gee, those benches could sure use some stain…” I and some other Booster promptly cleaned and stained about 20 wood benches. You just could not disappoint Dirk.”

FOJHC Board member, Peggy Jennings wrote: “Dirk treated everyone with such kindness and valued everyone’s opinion.”

Tony and Joan Hess observe poignantly: “We had twenty-one years of friendship with a gentleman of kindness, sincerity and fun. Dirk brought out the best of people whether it was the zany, crazy Boosters garage sales, the sold-out performances of Meet the Pioneers or the upkeep and programs in the cemetery. He will forever be with us.”

At this time, no memorial service for Dirk is planned. For those wishing to make a donation in his name, please consider one to Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery, P.O. Box 1541, Jacksonville, OR 97530.