Gerard Raymond has spent one-third of his life helping people make burial decisions and caring for their loved ones’ plots, as the executive director of St. Peter’s Cemetery, which overlooks the Androscoggin River on Lewiston’s north end. With Memorial Day approaching, the Sun Journal wanted to learn more about Raymond and the cemetery — the largest Catholic cemetery in Maine.

Name: Gerard JB Raymond (Gerry)

Age: 69

Hometown: Lewiston

Married, single or divorced? Happily married for 49-and-a-half years, to wife Pat

Children: Two sons, two daughters, 10 grandchildren (seven girls and three boys)

You’ve been working as the executive director of St. Peter’s Cemetery a long time. How did you get involved? In July of 1990, I received a call from the then-interim director asking to meet with me. He was ready to retire and looking for someone to replace him. We met and he explained the basic duties and responsibilities. I then met with the prior of the Dominican fathers, who owned and operated the cemetery at the time. I gave the matter serious thought, discussed it with my wife and family, and formally applied. I was hired in August. It has been a learning and rewarding experience.

Anyone who has visited the cemetery knows that you and the other people there work hard. What’s your day like? My day starts at 6:45 a.m. and no two days are alike. I deal with many situations and issues. I address complaints and try to resolve them as best I can. As we have over 300 burials per year, some of my time is spent receiving funerals in our large mausoleum chapel or at graves. I often meet individuals or families to offer my condolences and explain the various options available here.

The Memorial Day holiday is coming up. What do you do to prepare? Our observance of Memorial Day is very special here. We celebrate Mass in the chapel, which is usually attended by over 500 people. On the prior Saturday, you will find the staff moving tables around and setting up an altar and chairs. For a few weeks before, the staff is busy cleaning, raking, sweeping, repairing winter graces, installing bronze memorials, mowing and trimming, etc.

This time of year, people are often planting flowers or doing other things to tend to grave sites. How busy does it get there? It is indeed a very busy time of year. And not only on the grounds when people come to decorate graves, but also in the office, where we receive numerous inquiries regarding burial locations, etc. Most of these are from walk-ins, but we also receive many phone calls and emails.

How many people are buried there? Established July 1, 1876, there are approximately 45,000 people buried here. St. Peter’s is the largest Catholic cemetery in the diocese, which of course covers the entire state. The nature of St. Peter’s as a cemetery gives people strong feelings. Many feel a connection to the place through someone who was buried there.

How do you describe your responsibility? My major responsibility is to serve the families who come to us. It is incumbent upon my staff and myself to make visitors feel welcome here at anytime. It is a sacred place where families come to pray, grieve, reminisce, talk and laugh.

Do you have family buried there? My parents are buried here, both sets of grandparents, two great-grandparents, many aunts, uncles and cousins.  My wife’s parents and a brother, aunts, uncles and cousins are also here.

Are there more plots available? We still have available over 1,000 grave spaces within the developed area of the cemetery. We have in reserve several more acres of undeveloped land that can support another 45,000 burials.

What do you tell someone who is considering buying a plot there? I like to meet people and welcome them to St. Peter’s Cemetery. I enjoy telling them about this cemetery. I explain the various options available for either traditional casket burials or cremations. I offer to give them a tour, and I never pressure them into making any kind of decision. I am not a salesman, I’m here to serve, console, and will make suggestions and offer opinions when invited to do so. There are two different scenarios when anyone comes in to inquire and purchase burial rights. It can be pre-need or at need. Pre-need obviously is when people visit to inquire about the various options, costs, etc. This is when I can usually keep the conversation light and even joke around a little when I sense that it’s OK. Meeting with a family when they have just lost someone and have to make tough decisions can be very difficult. That is especially true when the deceased is a child, a young person, a victim of a tragic accident or worse. This is the time when I have to be extra compassionate, patient and understanding.

And that is what we are all about.