Where some may look at a cemetery and see a collection of headstones, Lois Pocian sees history. Each gravestone a story of someone's life, a link to the past.

But at the Honey Creek Cemetery in West Allis, it takes a lot of effort to even find some of those gravestones.

Some are partially or mostly hidden because of overgrowth. Others lean to the side. In some spots, the ground is sinking.

Pocian, of West Allis, is volunteering her time to try to help.

In 2021, West Allis appointed her cemetarian of the Honey Creek Cemetery after she approached the city with her concerns about the state of the site.

"I love cemeteries; I walk through cemeteries," Pocian said. "Even when we go on vacation, we hit some of the old cemeteries. And this one was just a mess. So I called (West Allis Ald. Dan Roadt) on it, and next thing I knew, the city said I could be the cemetarian of the cemetery."

There are more than 500 graves at the historic cemetery, located on the west side of South 84th Street, just south of the West Allis Historical Society, 8405 W. National Ave. The last person was buried there in 1963, Pocian said.

The hours that Pocian, a retired factory worker, puts in at the cemetery vary. Some days she'll spend six to eight hours there. Other days, just a few. Still others, she won't work at all.

Much of the work is done solo, other times she has volunteer help.

"I have been digging down, getting the bases, even trying to lift the bases back out without damaging them, and then filling it in with gravel and soil and stuff, trying to level them," she said.

The city, which does landscaping and tree trimming at the cemetery, provides her with the fill and the gravel she needs.

But city workers can't touch the markers, Pocian said, because it's considered private property.

"Because a lot of these graves, the family is no longer around, there's nobody there to maintain them," she said. "But (Roadt) did some research, and he said if they had a cemetarian, the cemetarian could make the calls to get some of the stuff straightened out."

But there's a lot of work, and it's a big cemetery, so Pocian started a GoFundMe to benefit the West Allis Historical Society, with funds going toward cemetery projects. 

Wenta Monument has bid on one of those jobs, Pocian said, the leveling and resetting of four of the markers. But work might not be completed until next spring or summer because of Wenta's workload and staffing shortage. 

Pocian pointed out that the story isn't about her, it's about preserving the character and the history of the cemetery.

Here are some facts about Honey Creek that Pocian shared:

Pocian said during the process, Roadt has been a good source of support.

"Sometimes I tell him, I think this is a little overwhelming, and he's like, you got it, don't worry about it," she said.

Taking it one grave, one marker at a time helps, she said.

"It's like, don't look at the whole big picture; let's look at little sections at a time."

She said that, gradually, the work is getting done.

"And people in the neighborhood, while I'm working, will come by and say, wow, I can really see a difference, so thanks for what you're doing," she said. "So that really makes me feel good."

Contact Bob Dohr at 262-361-9140 or bob.dohr@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BobDohr1.