ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — There’s a hidden history at Oakview Cemetery in Royal Oak. It's a history that one by one, Sue Fabian hopes to uncover.
“Here’s a veteran, there’s a veteran. They’re all over,” Fabian explained as she walked through the cemetery grounds. “There are stories behind every one of these. I wish I knew some more of them.”
Fabian took us to one grave that took her 30 minutes to uncover after grass had grown over it.
“Emden Mace. Corporal, U.S. Army Air Force, World War 2,” Fabian said, reading the headstone. "This man was in the service during one of the most horrible wars in human history, and his grave is covered over!”
Fabian never met the man nor any of his family members. All she knows about him is that he served in the same war as her father.
Through photos, Fabian has a glimpse of what her father witnessed in Europe during WWII. He died when Fabian was just 9 years old and is also buried at Oakview.
“I did not have a chance to talk to him about any of this, so I go by the pictures,” she said of her father's service.
The search for her own history and efforts to honor it is part of what inspires Fabian. Twice this month, she’s organized groups to clean off veterans' graves. And on Saturday, they’ll be back to place flags next to each one.
It all started more than 20 years ago when a friend stumbled on a hidden problem.
“I kind of fell in a hole and when I did, I twisted my ankle," explained Carol Hennessey, founder of the Royal Oak Memorial Society. "I could see underneath, there was a headstone, so I cleaned it all off and found out it was a veteran's headstone."
Hennessy’s father also served in WWII. More than 20 years ago, she started organizing volunteers to clean off graves at Oakview ahead of Memorial Day.
In the years since, they’ve discovered hundreds of hidden and forgotten graves belonging to veterans.
“I'm just honored that they’re continuing it," Hennessey said of her idea. "I'm kind of handicap right now and can't do it.”
“My heart just knew that this was important to do," Fabian added. "I could not let it die.”
Now, Fabian is asking for volunteers to help place a flag at more than 2,000 veterans' graves. It's in memory of her father but also in honor of all who served.
“Freedom is not a spectator sport. It takes work and too many people sit on the sidelines. This is the least we can do," Fabian said. "I hope somewhere in heaven, they see that someone cares.”
Fabian and her team are looking for as many volunteers as possible at Oakview Cemetery on Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon, rain or shine. You can find her by the pond near the cemetery entrance wearing an orange shirt.
