Belton Cemetery Association

05/20/2026

The Belton Cemetery will be open this weekend for Memorial Day as usual. Volunteers will be present from early until late on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday to assist in locating the graves of your loved ones.

Cleanup efforts after the tornado are ongoing. A few of the older gravestones have not been reset yet, but the crew will be back soon to handle them as they are more complicated. No gravestones were broken in the tornado.

We remind everyone that decorations placed on graves will remain for two weeks until cleanup begins on Monday, June 8, 2026. After that date, all items that are not permanently attached to gravestones will be removed and discarded without notice, including flowers, toys and keepsakes. Please collect them before then if you want to keep them. As always, we strongly recommend real flowers since artificial flowers tend to blow away more easily in heavy winds.

We encourage everyone in the community to visit the cemetery over the Memorial Day weekend to honor those who served in our armed forces.

05/12/2026

Update: The cemetery will indeed replace the flagpole broken by the tornado. It has come to our attention that someone is saying that we aren’t going to replace the pole, which is just not true. We have actually received donations earmarked for the pole.

We are making progress on restoring the cemetery. Freeman Monument has graciously reset more stones in the past few days; they have been hampered by the soaked ground and the need for more powerful equipment. This is a delicate process, requiring the specialized skills of these professionals to ensure the stones are balanced.

We still have some tree debris to remove, and the fence on the west side will need to be replaced.

Please be patient and please don’t share information unless you have seen it on this page. There is no reason to cause unneeded frustration for anyone.

04/28/2026

We really appreciate the donation.

When our neighbors need support, we show up. 💙💚

Through our Casual for a Cause program, R-G employees came together to donate $1,000 to the Belton Cemetery Association following the recent tornado. The storm caused significant damage, including uprooted trees, damaged headstones, and the loss of the cemetery’s flagpole.

This gift is a small step toward helping restore a place that means so much to the Belton community. It’s made possible by our team, who give week after week to Casual for a Cause to support others when it matters most.

04/27/2026

DONATIONS: For those still seeking to donate electronically to the repair efforts, we now have our PayPal account re-established. We appreciate your generosity. It takes all credit cards and bank transfers. As always, you could also mail a check to Belton Cemetery Association, 620 Main Street, Belton, MO 64012

Here is the link:

Thanks for your donation to the Belton Cemetery Association, Belton, MO 64012

04/26/2026

UPDATE: Great news. Most of the cemetery is now open. One section still has lots of debris and that is blocked off. There are still many stones that need to be reset, but lots of progress has been made. Please don’t attempt to reset any on your own as the professional monument company will continue until all the work is done. The electrical and telephone lines are now all fixed. Thanks again for your patience.

04/24/2026

UPDATE ON THE TORNADO: Workers are making quick progress on getting the cemetery back in order. We still have no firm date yet on reopening the cemetery, but it should be soon. Please don’t try to enter for your own safety. At this time, we do not need any direct help from any family as we should be able to handle all the issues.

The tree trimmers have removed the large trees. The rest of the damaged trees and brush will be removed today (Friday).

Freeman Monument will start resetting the stones today and fixing others that are loose. Don’t try to right a stone on our own; let the skilled professionals do it please.

The electric and telephone companies are finishing up restringing their wires and repairing their poles. Once the utilities are done, the fence on the west side will be repaired, and the brush along the fence will be cleaned up.

If you want to donate, including for a new flag pole, kindly mail a check to:

Belton Cemetery Association
620 Main Street
Belton, MO 64012

We are working on getting a new electronic donation option as our previous one has failed.

Thanks again for your patience and understanding. We will have the cemetery back in shape soon.

04/19/2026

Update on storm damage: To be totally clear, the cemetery is closed. Things are still dangerous with electrical wires being worked on, branches still hanging from trees and stones on the ground. The barricades at the entrances are there to keep everyone out so we have no injuries. Yesterday we unbelievably had people move the barricades so they could drive in. No guests are allowed in until it is safe. The electric company has crews fixing the wires. Professional tree trimmers are already removing the debris. Once that is all fixed, the monument company will right the stones. It will all be fixed. However, please be patient and keep out. We will alert you when it is safe. Patience and common sense are what is most needed at this point. If you want to make a donation to help, please let us know, but don’t interfere.

04/19/2026

An update on the storm damage: The cemetery lost several old trees and some electrical lines and poles fell onto areas of the cemetery. Moreover, several stones were overturned from the strong winds and falling limbs. The building was also damaged. Once the debris is fully removed, which we started doing today, and once the electrical dangers are fully removed, we will start righting the stones. The cemetery plans to cover any costs associated with this through insurance and existing resources. In the unlikely event we need your assistance, we will reach out to you directly. Please, please, PLEASE give us time and patience as we just don’t have time to reach out or respond to you individually as the cleanup efforts will take a lot of effort and several days if not weeks. As always, we take pride in keeping our cemetery clean and beautiful. Stay safe.

04/18/2026

We are aware of the downed trees and damage to stones in the cemetery. We will address the issues as soon as possible. Stay safe everyone.

05/18/2025

The Belton Cemetery will be open Memorial Day weekend as we invite the community to honor the memories of those buried in the cemetery. Volunteers will be present at various times on Saturday, Sunday and Monday to assist you in finding a loved one’s grave.

We remind everyone that decorations placed on graves will remain for two weeks until cleanup begins on Monday, June 9, 2025. All items not permanently attached to gravestones will be removed and discarded after that date, including flowers. Also, we highly recommend real flowers as artificial flowers tend to blow away more easily in heavy winds.

We encourage everyone in the community to visit to honor those who served.

04/08/2025

This post is a reminder of the cleaning process for the cemetery. Twice a year, the cemetery is completely cleaned of all items on graves not permanently attached to tombstones. This includes all flowers, even artificial flowers, in holders. The first cleaning is on March 15 and the second cleaning is two weeks after Memorial Day. The cleanings ensure that nothing is in the way of the mowers and that dead or deteriorating flowers aren’t left on graves so that the cemetery is kept nice for all families. There are no exceptions to the removal of items for any grave at these times. This process is not new and has been explained on the signs at the main entrance for many years.