Niska Cemetery Association
Overview
In 2004, the family created the Niska Cemetery Association with the following guiding principles:
Carry on Peter’s mission to ensure family members can have a final resting place without financial concerns
Establish guidelines for the operation and maintenance of the Cemetery
Maintain and keep the premises of the Cemetery in good repair including the grave sites, markers, and memorials
All descendants of Peter and Eva Niska are automatically a member of the Association and are entitled to one vote on Association matters.
The governing body, the Board of Directors, has fourteen (14) members who are descendants of Peter and Eva Niska. These Directors serve on the Board as volunteers.
On the Friday preceding the 3rd Saturday in July the Association holds its Annual Meeting in Squaw Lake, Minnesota to …
Discuss operations and maintenance of the cemetery
Review and revise the Association By-Laws, and Rules and Regulations as needed
Elect Association Board Members and Officers.
All Association Members are welcome to attend the Annual Meeting
Basic Rules
Authorizations: A vault, casket, urn, marker or monument shall not be placed in the cemetery until a written authorization has been issued by the Niska Cemetery Association’s Board of Directors and the lot owner’s signed agreement and guarantee to fully adhere to the Rules and Regulations have been filed with the Niska Cemetery Association.
Reservations: Lots shall be generally reserved in groups of two (2) or four (4) plots and when four are reserved they shall be in the surveyed area of 16’ X 10’.
Markers - A headstone set flush to the ground
Single markers (for one individual) should not exceed 24” x 36”.
Double markers (two adults) should not exceed 24” x 60”.
On multiple grave lots, all markers should consist of the same material and design.
Markers must measure at least 6” or more in thickness (depth).
Granite or marble markers should be installed so the face of the marker is flush to the ground and the excavated area around the marker shall be backfilled with sod from the excavated area.
Bronze markers should be twelve (12) inches wide and twenty-four (24) inches long. A vase of bronze may be attached as part of the marker, as long as the dimensions of the vase do not add to the overall dimensions of the marker. Bronze markers shall be installed in a concrete base so as to lie flush with the ground.
Monuments - A headstone that extends above the surface of the ground
Monuments for two or more plots must not exceed five and one-half feet wide by four feet tall.
Monuments for a single plot (one grave only) must not exceed three feet wide and four feet tall.
Mausoleums (above ground burial in hermetically sealed crypts) are not permitted
Eligibility, Fees, and Request for Interment / Inurnment
Descendants
A person who is a direct descendant of or who is in a legally recognized civil union (or similar relationship status) with a descendant of Peter or Eva Niska is considered a Family Member
All Family Members have the right for internment or inurnment in the Cemetery
Fees
There is no fee for any Family Member be interred or inurned in the Cemetery
Donations are accepted, helpful to maintain the Cemetery grounds, and are tax deductible
Grave Site Requests
Family Members may request the location of their own grave sites in advance of their death by completing the Request Form
The Board of Directors reviews each request, and if a request is denied they will help find an alternate location
If a location has not previously been determined upon the death of a family member, the next of kin or executor of the estate along with at least one Board Member will decide on the location
Family Members
Sponsorship and Grave Site Requests
Persons who are not Family Members and wish to be buried in the Cemetery must be sponsored by a Family Member to be interred or inurned in the Cemetery
Requests for a site may be made by completing a Request Form
The Board of Directors reviews each request, and if a request is denied they will help find an alternate location
Fees
The fee for a burial site for non-family members is $300 per plot
With approval from a majority of Board Members, the fee can be deferred, paid in installments, or waived if there is a hardship for the requestor to pay
Non-Family Members