Naches Cemetery Association

05/05/2026

A big thanks to the ACTS group that came out on April 6 to help us get the cemetery spiffed up and ready for Memorial Day! Around fourteen students volunteered their time by helping with weeding, raking, loading leaves and brush, sweeping, and other tasks. In fact, they got so much done in just under two hours that we don't need to have our usual pre-Memorial Day work party this year! But please don't let that stop you from coming out though and tidying up and decorating your loved one's markers.

ACTS stands for Antioch Christian Training School and is based in Tieton. It is a gap-year “discipleship sabbatical” where young adults can take time out to do nothing more than fall in love with God more deeply, apply that love through a local ministry, and prayerfully discern God’s direction for life’s next step. More info is available on their website at https://gcmacts.com/acts/ #

Also, if you would like to help a local cemetery get ready for Memorial Day, please consider going to the Wenas Cemetery work party this Saturday, May 9, starting at 8:00 and followed by a potluck lunch at 11:15.

Thanks again to all the ACTS students and everyone else who also helps at the cemetery! We appreciate your willingness to serve the Naches community by helping to keep our cemetery looking great!

02/13/2026

The Cemetery Association will be holding our annual meeting at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb 26, at the Naches Fire Station.
The meeting is open to the public but only members of the association are allowed to vote (a member is someone who owns the burial rights on at least one lot in the cemetery).
The annual meeting usually consists of:
*Reviewing minutes from last year's meeting
*Hearing the President report on cemetery activities in 2024
*Electing officers and trustees
*Reviewing financial reports
*Discussing any unfinished business since last meeting
*New business items for consideration
*Reviewing/adjusting cemetery fees
Anyone with questions about the cemetery, or those interested in volunteering or gaining a better understanding about how the cemetery works, are invited to attend!

Send a message to learn more

11/09/2025

Thomas Harold Watkins:

The second veteran we're featuring (and last of four who died while serving in the military) is Thomas Harold Watkins. Thomas was born in Nov 1922 to John and Annie (Wetherell Berg) Watkins. Thomas' father John was born in Idaho in 1899 and his mother Annie was born in Naches in 1902 and they were married in Yakima in Feb 1922.

The 1930 Census has John and Annie and family of four boys living in the East Naches election precinct, with John's occupation listed as irrigation canal laborer. The 1940 census lists them in the West Naches precinct so it appears they moved sometime prior to then.

Thomas enlisted in the Army Air Corps in Oct 1940 at Fort Lewis, Washington. He married Roberta Frances Murray in Helena, Montana in Sept 1942, while stationed there at Fort William Henry Harrison. Roberta was a graduate of Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing in Spokane. They made their home in Missoula for a short time, had daughter Judith Ellen in Sept 1943, and moved to Spokane in 1944.

Thomas was promoted from Staff Sergeant to Tech Sergeant in Nov 1944 and was the aerial engineer and top turret gunner of an Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress stationed in England. He was one of seven crew members killed over Koerbecke, Germany on Nov 21, 1944 when his B-17 collided with another B-17 during a bombing mission to deep inside Germany.

Thomas was initially buried at a small local cemetery in Koerbecke and his remains were later brought home and buried in Section 2 Row 14 of the Naches Cemetery in June 1949.

Thomas was survived by his parents, three brothers, and his wife Roberta and daughter Judith Ellen. Roberta later married Don Jones in 1950 and they made their home in the Spokane Valley and she had two more daughters (Dawn and Garry). Roberta passed away in 1993.

Thomas' older brother Bradie and wife Marion are buried in Section 3W along with their infant son Bradie who is buried in Section 1.

Sources:
Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com, U.S. National Archives

Note:
While we have many WW2 veterans buried at the cemetery, these are the only two who were killed in action during the war.

We try our best to be accurate but records often contain incorrect or conflicting information. Please let us know if you notice something that needs corrected or have additional information that should be included.

11/09/2025

As promised last Memorial Day, here is the first of two posts honoring the remaining two of four veterans buried at the Naches Cemetery who died while serving in the military.

Douglas Noble Campbell:

Douglas was born in Yakima on Sept 12, 1918. His father Robert was born in Scotland in 1889 and came to the U.S. in 1908. His mother Hildred (Smith) Campbell was born in Iowa in 1896 and married Robert in North Yakima in 1917.

The 1920 census shows the Campbells living in the West Naches precinct with Robert's occupation listed as a carpenter. Their son Douglas was 19 years old when he married Ellen Adair Baird in 1940. Douglas registered for the draft in Oct 1940 and his draft card describes him as being 5'-10" tall, 135 pounds with brown eyes and hair.

Douglas enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in Sept 1942, and was killed in action on Oct 31, 1944 in the Pacific Theater after having been overseas for 22 months.

He was survived by his wife Ellen and two small sons, according to a Nov 1944 article in the Spokesman Review of Spokane. Douglas was buried in Section 2, Row 4, Plot 3 in the cemetery and his father Robert applied for a military headstone in 1949. His parents and younger sister Jeanette are buried nearby in Row 3.

On this upcoming Veterans Day (Tuesday, Nov 11), please be sure to thank all those in your family and friends who have served in our Nation's military!

Sources:
Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com, National Archives

05/31/2025

A big thank you to the thirteen 7th graders and adult helpers from Mrs. Schuler's Sustainable Design Technology class who visited the cemetery on the Friday before Memorial Day to decorate graves with flowers grown in the CTE Lab room at the Middle School.

Her students grow produce and flowers in a large aquaponic system, as well as several small hydroponic and soil gardens. This year they grew zinnias in a rainbow of colors to place on graves at the Naches Cemetery.

This is their 3rd year delivering flowers to the cemetery, and according to Mrs. Schuler, "the idea came from brainstorming with students how we could use what we grow to serve and honor our community. Middle schoolers have the biggest hearts when you give them a chance to share their love for family and friends."

We really appreciate their desire to serve the community by honoring those who are buried at the cemetery!

05/27/2025

Unfortunately, we ran out of time today and didn't get to the remaining two veterans and will feature them in the fall when we do our postings for Veteran's Day.

In case you're wondering, they were Douglas Noble Campbell, Pfc USMC, who was KIA on 10-31-1944 in the Pacific Theater during WW2, and Thomas H. Watkins, a Tech Sgt in the US Army Air Corps, who was killed over Germany when his B-17 exploded on 11-21-1944. While we have many WW2 veterans buried at the cemetery, these are the only two who were killed in action during the war.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the cemetery this week to decorate graves of loved ones and to also honor those who died while serving in our country's military.

05/26/2025

The second veteran we're featuring on this Memorial Days is Elwood Hayes, who is buried in Section 3 of the cemetery.

Elwood was the son of James and Rachel Hayes and was born on January 3, 1896 in Jackson Township, Sullivan County, Missouri. His family moved to Naches sometime between 1900 and 1910 and his father James died in January 1916 and is also buried in Section 3.

Elwood served 8 months as a private in Co H of the 4th Missouri Infantry in Missouri in 1916 and later returned to Naches were he registered for the U.S. military draft in July 1918. He was working as a truck driver for the Selah Ditch Company in Naches at that time.

He arrived at Camp Lewis, WA (now JBLM) on Sept 1, 1918 as part of the draft quota from Yakima County. He was later sent to Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana, which served as hospital during the 1918 influenza pandemic, and died there on Oct 11, 1918.

Earlier that year in January, Elwood married Mayetta Viola Doughty in Yakima. Their daughter Marjorie was born on October 26, 1918, fifteen days after Elwood succumbed to Spanish Influenza.

05/26/2025

For this year's Memorial Day we are featuring four soldiers who died while serving in the U.S. Military during World War 1 and 2.

The first soldier is Harry Floyd Painter who is buried in Section 1 of the cemetery. Floyd was the son of Harry and Nora Painter and was born on June 28, 1898. He grew up in Naches and attended North Yakima High School in 1915. Floyd worked as a Laborer according to the 1917 Yakima City Directory and resided at 106 S 16th Ave. Floyd was drafted into the U.S. Army in Yakima and reported to Fort George Wright in Spokane in March 1918. He died there less than one month later from pneumonia likely caused by the Spanish Influenza.