Exploring Our Area’s Cemeteries
Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cemetery
The Thorp Courier (Thorp, WI)
August 13, 2008
Transcribed by Dolores Mohr Kenyon
The cemetery of the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church, located just south of the Taylor-Clark County line north of Thorp, is small, but means a lot to the residents of the surrounding area. Since 1921, the church has been
a part of the lives of many families, most of whom continue to worship there to this day. The church, and subsequently the cemetery, was founded in 1921 by the farmers who loved around the area. There were some disputes at first over what religion they wanted the church to follow, and some families left as a result. However, it was decided that the church would follow the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox religion from the old country. The land was officially given over from Max and Nettie Tyznik to the Trustees of the Trinity Cemetery Association of Thorp, Wisconsin, comprised of the initial board of Max Tyznik, Mike Kudingo, John Figura, John Oryszczyn, Mike Pirus, and Nik Gwiazda for $100 on June 8, 1922. Due to the unique heritage of the church, the church retained copies of these documents written in Ukrainian, although copies in English are documented through the Clark County Register of Deeds. Although the church was too poor to afford a minister to come more than a few times a year, the families that belonged to Holy Trinity put a lot of work and love into their building and their cemetery. Even today, the small cemetery has well-kept grounds, fresh flowers and an aura of peace and respect. Throughout the years, many of those initial founders and the first families of the church came to reside there, and their children, and so forth to today. In addition, many of those who came from the Ukraine who had settled in this part of the state asked to be buried there, even if they had never gone to the church. A number of Ukrainian Greek Orthodox ministers are also buried in the Holy Trinity graveyard, wanting to reside with those of their own faith. There are a few graves as well from people from nearby, of different faiths, who simply asked to be buried there. Many graves feature writing in Ukrainian, reflecting the heritage of the founders of the church. One section that is particularly interesting is over by the far edge of the fence, where a number of small stones stand apart from the others. In this area, babies and small children who have perished in their first years of life are put to rest. The area is well shaded, but kept meticulously well, lending a very peaceful feeling to the scene. The centerpiece of the graveyard is the large cross with a statue of Jesus amidst the first row of graves. In 1995, the large cross, which was wooden and painted, was refinished by Gregory Gwiazda, giving the cemetery a further air of holiness and giving the church an icon which to gather around. In the fall, the church always holds a Harvest Service, where after the service, congregation members place crops and items they wish blessed at the foot of the cross while a minister blesses them. Despite the small size of the congregation, there is a strong attachment to this church cemetery among families who attend. Although half of the designated graveyard stands empty, members of the congregation have already spoken for most of the plots. Given the attachment of the church members to their house of worship, this is no surprise. They maintain their land through annual church dues and the annual selling of ethnic food at Thorp’s yearly Pumpkin Fest. Below is a listing of all those currently buried in the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cemetery with dates of birth and death where available.
