St. Mary Cemetery Policies Effective March 1, 2026
1123 Story Avenue, Wilton, IA 52778
St. Mary Catholic Church & Cemetery
1. The St. Mary Cemetery is governed by the Bylaws of St. Mary Catholic Church of Wilton, Iowa. The Cemetery Chair shall be the main point of contact with the Pastor / PLC of St. Mary Catholic Church of Wilton as second.
2. The St. Mary Church Councils shall be the final determinant regarding any question, disputes or controversy regarding any of the following rules and regulations. All regulations and or rules shall follow the guidance of the Roman Catholic Church.
3. Members of St. Mary Catholic Church of Wilton, Iowa will be given preference for burial space.
4. In addition, the Council also maintains the right and duty to add to, delete from, or modify in any way any of the rules and regulations to meet any changing future needs of the cemetery.
A. General Guidelines of Cemetery:
1. A person desiring to purchase a plot can do so by contacting Cemetery Chair. After the selection of the plot and payment in full has been made, a certificate for the rite of burial will be issued to the purchaser.
2. The Plot Purchaser shall have the right to erect proper head stones or monuments, strictly subject to the regulations of the cemetery.
3. All certificates for the right of burial, when executed by the cemetery, shall be construed as simply granting to the Plot Purchaser, being the original purchaser of the plot conveyed, the right to use said Plot for burial purposes for the interment of himself or herself, his or her family, his or her relatives or descendants and such other persons as in his or her lifetime he shall have procured the permission of the Cemetery Chair to bury thereon. Such burial rights shall not be transferable, either by voluntary or involuntary conveyance or by descent, to any other person without the consent of the Cemetery Chair.
4. Anyone disturbing the solitude or orderliness of the Cemetery or engages in other improper conduct violating the rules and regulations of the Cemetery shall be asked to leave the Cemetery.
5. Visitors to the cemetery are not permitted to distribute literature of any kind to other visitors in the cemetery. Anyone engaging in this or any other form of solicitation will be asked to leave the cemetery.
6. Defacing or breaking in any way any monument, statue or other property belonging to the cemetery or any other lot owner is prohibited.
7. The cemetery is open to the public typically from sunup to sundown daily when weather permits entrance into and out of the cemetery.
8. Any outside contractors working within the Cemetery must be Approved and provide a Certificate of Insurance for all work to be performed.
9. Only individuals or businesses authorized by the Cemetery Chair will be permitted to open and close graves.
10. Disinterment will be made in the manner prescribed by the Laws of the State of Iowa. Cemetery Chair shall be notified. All disturbed ground must be replaced as it was.
11. Homemade monuments may be used but the design and construction methods need to be approved by the Cemetery Chair prior to the installation of the monument.
B. Maintenance of Cemetery:
1. No new plantings, including replacements, of perennial flowers, shrubs, or trees will be allowed without permission of the Cemetery Chair.
2. Wooden boxes, glass jars, bottles, cans, and any unsightly objects will not be permitted and will be removed by cemetery without notice.
3. Cemetery grounds clean up occurs around March 15 and October 15, each year. Families are expected to clear flowers and décor from prior season. The cemetery reserves the right to remove any décor that remains at the cost to the Plot Purchaser.
4. Containers, plastic flowers and/or wilted flowers must not be deposited anywhere in the cemetery. They must be removed from the grounds which include extended areas beyond the fences.
5. No grave is to be opened unless appropriate payment and permission has been arranged.
6. A maximum of one upright headstone/grave marker and one flat grave marker is allowed per grave.
7. The cemetery requires preapproval of all work to be completed, including contractors or volunteers. The parties performing the work are liable for all damage. Adequate insurance is required.
8. The planting of flowers, bushes, plants, trees, etc. is not allowed at the cemetery.
9. Repair and maintenance of monuments, including benches, and abutments are the responsibility of the Plot Purchaser.
10. The Cemetery Owner plows snow from driveways only in case of an interment.
11. Mistakes made in interment location caused by the Plot Purchaser and/or funeral home director shall be corrected at the expense of the owner or funeral home.
12. Mistakes made in interment location caused by the Cemetery Chair shall be corrected at the expense of the Council.
C. Plots:
1. Plot Purchasers shall not allow interments to be made on their plots for remuneration. All interments on the Plots shall be restricted to the members of the family and relations of the plot owners, except if special permission to be contrary is obtained in writing from the Cemetery Chair.
2. All Plot Purchasers are prohibited from selling their lots in whole or in part or transferring the same without the permission of the Cemetery Chair.
3. The grave needs to be 6 feet deep. The digging size is 43” X 99”. (All caskets shall have an outside receptacle) Note: Cremation sites should be a depth of 3ft.
4. Each full-sized adult burial space is four feet by ten feet (4’ x 10’), or up to two cremations urns are allowed in each adult space. (Note: Special requests will be reviewed with families on an as needed basis.)
5. All monuments and headstones shall be in good taste in keeping with the décor of the cemetery and shall be subject to the approval of the cemetery board.
6. Multiple burials are allowed per Plot.
6.1. One casket, or
6.2. One casket and one cremated remains in an urn, or
6.3. Two cremated remains in appropriate urns.
6.4. Urns must be buried to a depth so that the top of the Urn Vault is at least 18” below grade.
6.5. Right of second internment must be approved by the Cemetery Chair. Cost of $50
7. Urn Burials Vault is required for urns that are biodegradable, fragile, temporary, or with non- permanent sealing. Examples requiring an urn vault include, but are not limited to wood, cardboard, paper, crystal, porcelain or glass.
8. Plot Costs:
8.1. Plots may be purchased from the Cemetery Chair or contact Pastor/PLC of St. Mary Catholic Church of Wilton.
8.2. Plot cost for 1 casket only is $200.
8.3. Plot cost for 2 cremated remains (urn) is $275.
8.4. Plot cost to add an infant or cremated remains is an additional $50.
8.5. Cemetery Chair must be notified and approve, prior to the reselling of a Plot.
D. Monuments/Headstones and Foundation Specifications:
Permission: It is the responsibility of the lot owner to have the monument company notify the Cemetery Chair prior to the placement of a monument. A monument installed without notification runs the risk of removal at the expense of the owner if it does not meet the specifications outlined in this policy.
1. Location: All monuments shall be located at the West end of the plot with the exception of the military marker as a second marker.
2. Size: The size of the foundation should be a minimum of 20 inches wide with a minimum border width of 4 inches on all sides.
3. Construction: The foundation for the monument must follow these specifications. Please make sure your monument vendor is aware of these requirements.
The concrete foundation shall be dug to a minimum of 42 inches deep (frost line) and exceed the dimensions (footprint) of the monument base.
All foundations must be concrete made of 3 parts sand or gravel to 1 part cement.
The pad or cap of the base shall be level in all directions with its top at the highest ground elevation.
All monuments shall be set in line with the other monuments in the same row.
4. Inspection: Upon completion of the monument installation, the Cemetery Chair will inspect the installation and contact the monument company if there is a problem.
5. Responsibility: If any of the above procedures are not followed and a mistake is made in the location and/or construction of the foundation and placement of the monument, the Plot Purchaser or heirs is responsible for the payment of resetting the foundations and/or monument.
6. Recommended St. Mary Cemetery Contractor for Grave opening and closing, Foundations and Monument Installations:
Brian Bean
Cell: 319-461-2909
Email: digglersden@gmail.com
Cemetery Contacts:
Cemetery Chair – Scott Wolf 563-370-3734 srwolf64@gmail.com
Parish Life Coordinator – Deacon Dan Freeman 563-320-2462 wiltonstmary@diodav.org
St. Mary Cemetery - 2775 130th Street, Wilton, IA 52778
Cemetery Plot Purchase Record
[1st copy of this form should be given to Plot Purchaser and 2nd copy retained by St. Mary Church]
The St. Mary Cemetery is owned and operated by the St. Mary Catholic Church, located at 701 East 3rd Street, Wilton, IA 52778. All correspondence should be addressed to it. The Cemetery is governed by the Pastor/Parish Life Coordinator in conjunction with the Parish Council of St. Mary Catholic Church.
Cemetery Chair: Scott Wolf cell - 563-370-3734 or email - srwolf64@gmail.com
Parish Life Coordinator: Deacon Dan Freeman cell 563-320-2462 or email – wiltonstmary@diodav.org
1. Section: Plot #:
Location(s)
Date Purchased: Amount paid:
2. Person to be buried: Last Name
First Name Maiden:
Date of Birth: Date of Death:
Date of Burial: Type of Burial:
Military Service:
3. Name of Purchaser:
Contact Phone: Contact Email:
Contact Address:
4. Contact Person responsible for Plot Care:
Purchaser agrees to abide by all Cemetery Rules & Regulations as published now or in the future.
Signature of Purchaser:
Contact Phone: Contact Email:
Contact Address:
5. Funeral Home:
Contact Name: Cell:
6. Contractor / Excavator:
Contact Name: Cell:
7. Cemetery Chair / Representative:
Signature: Date:
