LEWISBURG — Diane Meixell finds life at the cemetery.
It brings a smile to her face, she said, to walk the paths between the tombstones and read the names of people who dedicated their lives to the community, to others and to causes.
“There are a lot of stories out there,” she says.
There are six Bucknell University presidents, a Medal of Honor recipient and a baseball legend. War heroes, politicians and religious leaders also are buried there.
As snow began to tickle the coloring leaves Thursday, she pointed out the many Fochts, including Benjamin, who created the first old-age pension system.
Meixell is on the Lewisburg Cemetery board and knows that people often are surprised to find the 33-acre burial ground is not maintained by the city, county or other governmental agency, or a church, for that matter. It’s a nonprofit entity with no affiliations and as such often struggles with the cost of operations and maintenance.
“It certainly is beautiful, but difficult to take care of,” she said.
She said she is heartened by the many warm and generous people in the community who respond with donations, but more always are needed.
Meixell loves to walk. She said she rarely misses a daily stroll, and the cemetery is just one of the great places to do that in the Lewisburg area. There’s downtown, she said, and out in the country, different, but equally fascinating.
It’s an area she’s adopted, having grown up in Bucks County, north of Philadelphia. But her husband, Ted, is a native, and her grandfather was from Watsontown. The Meixells’ two daughters, Bekah and Amanda, have stayed close. Bekah and her husband operate Reba and Poncho’s restaurant, and Amanda teaches Spanish at Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove.
It’s the school where Meixell earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology after her children were in school.
She really likes it here and feels fortunate to be here. She points to assets like the Packwood House and Slifer House museums, which, she said, enrich our lives by ensuring our history remains with us. “We’re so lucky to have those little community treasures,” she said.
Not surprisingly, she’s on the board of the Union County Historical Society, among many other community groups. After completing a term on the SUM Child Development board, she’s moving to serve the other end of the age spectrum by joining the board of Albright Care Services.
Meixell also is an active member of the League of Women Voters.
While Meixell does a lot, one can see a common thread through it all — family and community strengthening.
“The world upsets me,” she said. “I can’t help things beyond my reach.” Locally, affecting change is within her grasp.
“We are fortunate to live here,” she said. “I’m not saying it doesn’t have its warts, but it certainly has far more special treasures and special people.”
And she is one.
News
Volunteer stresses family, community
- News
-
-
Firefighter union may char pacts
LEWISBURG — Paid members of the William Cameron Engine Company have voted to unionize under the International Association of Fire Fighters, a move believed to stem from internal tension between paid and volunteer members of the department, according to various sources.
-
M-W rule on drug testing is area’s boldest
MIDDLEBURG — Midd-West is the only school district in the Central Susquehanna Valley that requires students interested in participating in extra-curricular activities to agree to submit to random drug testing.
-
New shelter exec gets busy
When Cathy Teisher stepped down as executive director of Haven Ministries, in March, Pamela Steffen stepped up.
-
Tax boost could bring $120G pad
The Lewisburg Area School District will seek a 3.2 percent real estate tax increase for the 2012-13 school year, the maximum allowed under the index, under a proposed budget now available for public comment.
-
Fire has burned beneath Centralia for 50 years
CENTRALIA — Fifty years ago on Sunday, a fire at the town dump ignited an exposed coal seam, setting off a chain of events that eventually led to the demolition of nearly every building in Centralia — a whole community of 1,400 simply gone.
-
'To Do': Montandon Community Days
MONTANDON - Montandon Community Days will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 26 along Railroad Street.
-
California’s Coronado named nation’s best beach
CORONADO, Calif. (AP) — Like a Hollywood star, Coronado’s 1.5 mile-long beach literally sparkles, thanks to the mineral mica glinting in its sand.
That’s one of the reasons why Coronado — flanked by the iconic hotel featured in Marilyn Monroe’s 1958 film “Some Like It Hot” — has been named the No. 1 beach in the United States in the 2012 survey by “Dr. Beach” professor Stephen P. Leatherman of Florida International University. -
Typical CEO made $9.6M last year, AP study finds
Profits at big U.S. companies broke records last year, and so did pay for CEOs.
-
Barnstorming cattle badger citizens for beer
BOXFORD, Mass. (AP) — Police say a roving group of cows crashed a small gathering in a Massachusetts town and bullied the guests for their beer.
-
'A Day in Towne' tradition draws crowds to Boalsburg
May 25--For the 148th year, Boalsburg will be the gathering place for regional families to remember all ranks of Armed Forces veterans.
-
Fired Pa. president gets more time to clear office
CALIFORNIA, Pa. (AP) — A judge has canceled a hearing to determine whether California University of Pennsylvania president Angelo Armenti can remove his personal property from his former office, because state officials have given him more time to do so.
- Weird crime of the week: Peddler in pickup scams bargain-hunting meat seeker
- More News Headlines
-
Firefighter union may char pacts



