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.
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