Restoration

Amanda Strickfaden, FAOC President

“Several years ago as I started to take an interest in my family tree and genealogy, I would visit cemeteries, as genealogists often do. I would notice many gravestones in rough shape. Not only at Oakwood, but at every cemetery I visited. I wanted to know if there was anything I could do to fix this problem. After a lot of searching online, I found a class offered through the Indiana Historical Society. Though the basics I learned were good there were some questionable practices used, so I kept searching. In 2017, my husband, Marty Strickfaden, and I attended a workshop in Lapeer County where we were introduced to Cemetery Conservators for United Standards. The CCUS is devoted to gravestone restoration using no harm methods. Marty and I are fully trained (but always learning) gravestone conservators.”