Burial in the Gold Hill Cemetery

The following are general policies to assist in addressing end-of-life needs. Each burial has its own unique requirements. It is our job to offer resources and support to families as they navigate cemetery-related matters.

The following guidelines were passed down to us, via Bob Walter, the former sexton (Cemetery caretaker).

1. If you would like to pre-purchase a plot in the cemetery (highly recommended,) Please contact Maggie Simms (303.473.0811) We will assist you with your deceased friend or relative, regardless of if you’ve pre-purchased a plot or need to purchase one in the event of death.  It is recommended that you purchase a plot prior to your death.  This is one detail your family does not have to address at the time of your passing.
   1. Once you contact Maggie, she will ask you to send her the following information:
      1. Full name
      2. Date of birth

• Date of death (obviously, if pre-purchasing, this detail cannot be filled in.)

1. Place of birth
2. Name of parents
3. Any other information you are willing to share… what would you like folks to remember you by?

• Contact phone number, email address of next of kin plus your own phone and email.

1. The above information will be forwarded to Chellee Courtney who keeps a record of all burials in the Gold Hill Cemetery.
2. This information is also often recorded in “Find a Grave” or “Billion Graves.” These sites are not a formal national registry, but instead a “people-powered” registry.  As the description implies, you can send in pictures and information to them yourself.

2. We request a donation of $100 per plot promised. These checks go directly to the Gold Hill Treasurer for deposit in the Town Council coffers.  The money collected is strictly used for Cemetery upkeep and projects. All Cemetery Committee members perform their duties on a voluntary basis.
3. Once you contact us, we will designate a date and time to go to the cemetery to pick out a plot, and we will mark it with a starred and numbered rock to hold your place.
4. The requirements for being buried in the Gold Hill Cemetery are as follows: (again this ranking has been passed down to us from Bob Walter): Ancestral connection to Gold Hill, resident, former resident, area resident (as in, the Gold Hill Fire District) and finally, family of those already buried in the cemetery.
5. Once your loved one has passed, you must secure a death certificate within five days of death and obtain a final disposition permit from the local Registrar before interment. The body must be buried, cremated, or refrigerated within 24 hours unless embalmed.
6. Any full body burial (with or without a casket) will be designated for burial in the Cemetery annex due to the disturbance caused by excavating such a large plot. You will be responsible for paying a backhoe operator to dig a hole for you and also pay for the Funeral Service of your choice to place the casket into the hole. Otherwise, for cremation burials, the Cemetery Committee will dig the hole – depending on the size of the urn, unless it is requested by the family that they dig it themselves.
7. In order to keep track of where folks have been buried, we require that a headstone be placed within a year of burial.
8. With proper upkeep and management, we aim for the Gold Hill Cemetery to be viable for future generations.
9. Any questions that you may that have not been addressed above may be directed to Maggie Simms: 473.0811.

-Respectfully submitted: The Gold Hill Cemetery Committee.