MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
What began as a volunteer effort to clean up a forgotten rural cemetery during the COVID-19 pandemic has grown into a countywide mission to restore and preserve burial sites — and ensure that veterans are properly honored.
Jessica Frost, Reno County’s volunteer preservationist, spends her time updating cemetery records, restoring damaged or unreadable headstones, and assisting families in locating loved ones’ graves. She receives no pay from the city, county, or cemeteries for her work.
“I literally just say, ‘Hey, what do you need?’ and I’ll help you out as much as I can,” Frost said.
Her work recently brought her to Fairlawn Cemetery, where she uncovered significant maintenance issues — including overgrown plots, buried headstones, and damaged markers. While updating Fairlawn’s master list, Frost discovered a deeper concern: more than 40 veterans buried there have no memorial markers.
“It’s not unusual to see one or two without stones in a cemetery,” Frost said. “But over 40? That’s a problem.”
She is now working with state and federal VA offices to verify veteran statuses, contact next of kin, and order headstones through the VA’s system in WaKeeney.
Her advocacy has also led to the creation of Operation Final Salute, a foundation launched earlier this year to address unmarked veterans’ graves. One case involves Ella Meese, the first Black woman in U.S. military history to receive full military honors at her funeral. Despite paperwork being filed at the time of her death, Meese still does not have a headstone.
Beyond Fairlawn, Frost is working with multiple cemeteries across Reno County, and she will take her mission to upcoming events, including veteran expos in Garden City on Friday, Wichita on Aug. 23, and Topeka in September for Gold Star ceremonies.
Frost says her work highlights a growing problem statewide.
“We’ve come to an era where empathy is no longer,” she said. “We don’t value cemeteries and the death of our loved ones as much as we used to — especially when it comes to honoring veterans. The least we can do is be there when they die and make sure the places they are laid to rest are cared for.”
Families with questions about grave sites or veteran markers can contact Frost through the Operation Final Salute Facebook page or by email at [email protected].