HAMPTON, Va. — Pleasant Shade Cemetery in Hampton looked a lot different Tuesday than it did back in July. In July, News 3 met Hampton resident Ruby Betts there after she reached out to News 3 concerned about the condition of the cemetery.
She has family buried there. That story led to two community cleanups, both of which News 3 covered.
“We’ve started some planning process to actually get this in a position of perpetual care," said Rev. Charles Cheek.
Cheek has been involved in the cleanup effort. In a virtual meeting he organized Tuesday to provide an update on work at the cemetery, he said one option for perpetual care is grant funding.
“We are working on gathering the paperwork at the moment," Cheek explained.
He said the city was helping him and those working with him get the grant submitted. Another option is to get a court-issued license to do work at the cemetery. The third option being considered at the time was to get ownership of the cemetery from the current owner.
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In News 3's initial story in July, News 3 tried to track down the owner but was unsuccessful. When News 3 asked the city about the cemetery, we were told the city also couldn’t track them down.
Cheek, though, said he had been able to.
“We’re starting the communication with he and his family," said Cheek.
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He didn’t go into detail about what had been said.
During the meeting, he asked for suggestions on how to keep the cemetery maintained. Former Hampton mayor, Donnie Tuck, said service members at Joint Base Langley Eustis have helped in the past. Cheek said someone from the city of Hampton reached out to him about that.
“I think he told me the problem was there wasn’t enough equipment to utilize when they came out there. So, we’re trying to work on that," Cheek responded.
As of Tuesday, another community cleanup was scheduled for MLK Day in January 2027.
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