Mount Calvary Cemetery under new direction

Intermountain Catholic

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John Curtice is the new director of Mount Calvary Cemetery. Among his goals is to acquire a new truck for the cemetery to replace the existing 1982 model. IC photo/Laura V. Sausedo

SALT LAKE CITY – Plan, develop and maintain sound accounting control. Provide purchasing services with respect to equipment, materials, supplies and services required for effective operations. Develop, recommend and execute approved plans for the use of the cemetery including construction of burial sites, buildings and facilities and plans for landscaping of cemetery property. These are all just part of the job description for John Curtice, the new director of Mount Calvary Cemetery.

Understanding the Catholic Church ethics, traditions, procedures and organizational structure came easily to Curtice, who helped on the construction of Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, his parish.

"Me and many volunteers were involved with the construction of the church," said Curtice. "It was very cool."

It was in his parish that he saw the ad soliciting for a new cemetery director. He applied, he said, because he needed a change. The father of three children, two of them at Saint Francis Xavier Catholic School and the oldest one attending Salt Lake Community College, Curtice took the job at the cemetery thinking of them.

"In my other job I was simply miserable; to be driving all day long and not spending time with my kids. I didn’t want to miss out, sacrificing your family just for the money. It’s not what you want a family for," said Curtice.

"My wife and I prayed a lot, and I got the job," said Curtice.

With Irish roots, Curtice has been in Utah for the last 30 years. He grew up in the Price/Helper area, where his family had a small farm. Before joining the cemetery, he was in the industrial business.

"I basically have a hydraulic background; I’m used to being outside," said Curtice.

As he walked to the top of the hill on which the cemetery sits to show the magnificent view, he said, "I love the cemetery. It’s quiet. I come here in the mornings, I walk around the circle and inspect everything, and this is so beautiful."

Mount Calvary Cemetery is a mission and Curtice emphasized that some people may not realize that.

"We need to come together to memorialize and bury the faithful with integrity," said Curtice.

The cemetery’s history goes back more than 100 years. On Sept. 17, 1897, as the Salt Lake Valley was beginning to cool from the hot summer months, the growing Catholic presence in Utah was recognized in a significant way: Mayor James Glendinning signed a document that donated 19.5 acres from the city to the Diocese of Salt Lake City for Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery.

Now, with approximately 15,000 graves and a community mausoleum, a cremation urn garden and a garden columbaria, the cemetery employs four full-time staff and two temporary workers.

"I think the staff that Curt Rosentreter put together is great," said Curtice referring to the previous cemetery director. "He has given me something to pass on; the transition has been so smooth."

On the administrative side, the cemetery’s secretary, Olivia Sagastume, has helped Curtice a lot with his transition, he said. "She understands everything very well and, most of all, the overall of the cemetery. Carlos and Oscar [the cemetery sextons] are great, too."

The challenges at the cemetery are various but Curtice is focusing on repairing the curbing in front of the mausoleum, obtaining a new truck (the one the cemetery works with is 29 years old) and eliminating the great hill of dirt that is accumulated from the grave excavations.

"We need to expand the cemetery, and (where the dirt hill sits) is a piece of property that we might be able to put graves in," said Curtice.