Remembering Mike Miner

Mike Miner will be remembered as the sexton at Oak Grove Cemetery for nearly 50 years.

For much of the past two years, many of us could say that the COVID-19 pandemic was bad or tragic or annoying or any number of other adjectives. It may have touched our lives personally when one of our family members or friends got sick. Maybe they got ill, maybe they were asymptomatic. Maybe they were hospitalized, maybe they weren't. Many people in our community have lost a loved one to this virus, while a lucky few have come through without knowing someone who has died.

As a community it has been hard to picture the loss that has been mostly private, borne by individual families.

But with the death of Mike Miner, the whole Manchester community has lost a cherished man. And our whole Manchester family has felt the loss that this terrible pandemic has caused.

With the passing of Mike Miner, the Sexton of Oak Grove Cemetery, our community has lost a gentle giant. He was a kind man who always had a smile and a story every time he saw you. He knew you and he knew your story, even if you didn't realize it. He was just that kind of a guy. He wasn't nosy and he wasn't a gossip ... he was just truly interested in people. You. Me. Everyone.

"Mike was a wealth of knowledge about our local cemetery, and of the people who currently reside within Oak Grove Cemetery," says Michael Tindall, former trustee of the Oak Grove Cemetery Board. "He had an amazing memory that he prepared for the arrival of its newest member and could even tell you on what day of the week they were buried and what the weather was like on that day."

Mike also had been known to tell a tale or two as a casket was being lowered into a grave, especially if it concerned a good friend. He would visit with those who were up in the cemetery visiting a friend or family member. He would start up a conversation with a traveler who was stopping to look up a long-lost relative. He knew the history of so many people in Manchester and he loved to share what he knew with anyone who cared to take a moment to listen.

And with all that gentle attention, there was also a tireless worker. He spent long days mowing and taking excellent care of the cemetery, in addition to preparing gravesites for burial and cleaning up afterwards. He took great pride in keeping Oak Grove in impeccable condition, and that pride showed. Even the oldest parts of the graveyard were in the best condition he could make them.

Mike was one of a kind, and there won't be another like him. In his honor, the former members of the Oak Grove Cemetery Board (now that the cemetery operations have been taken over by Manchester Township) would like to honor Mike with a memorial and a headstone, with the family's permission. They are offering any person that feels compelled to donate a memorial in honor of Mike, and would like to contribute to this cause, the opportunity to drop off a donation at the Manchester Township Hall (business hours 8:30 am - noon Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday). Please, if you are writing a check, please add in the Memo area, Mike Miner.

Mike has put a local face on the 883,000 people in the United States, and the 32,159 in Michigan, who have died of COVID-19. He's not the only loss felt in Manchester. But his loss touches us all. Let's not forget this face.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.