Waco man marks 50 years working at Oakwood Cemetery

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Joe Cervantez has worked at Oakwood Cemetery in Waco for 50 years. For half a century, he has helped make sure everything is ready when families arrive to say their final goodbyes.

“This is something I’ve always loved to do and something I’ve always done,” Cervantez said.

Cervantez arrived at Oakwood in August 1976 looking for work.

His 50 years at Oakwood equal nearly one-third of the cemetery’s history, according to a post on the cemetery’s website.

Cervantez’s work has touched nearly every part of the cemetery.

Over the years, he has helped lay out sections of the grounds and plant trees. He has prepared graves and fixed drainage issues.

Cervantez says he has buried more than 20,000 people at Oakwood, according to the post.

Some days are still harder than others for Cervantez after decades on the job.

“The hardest are children, you know, children. Someone who has lived a whole lifetime, you know, we expect things to happen,” he said.

Through the difficult moments and the everyday work, Cervantez has built a legacy alongside the people he works with.

“I’m real satisfied with all the workers, and we have good crews and I don’t mind working here,” he said.

Cervantez said he has no plans to leave Oakwood. The cemetery’s post says he is not retiring and describes the post as a celebration, not an announcement.

“It’s just a job that I love to do and that is why I’m still here,” he said.