Penn Hills resident volunteers, maintains Old German Cemetery

Mowing two acres of a cemetery may not sound like an ideal Friday night activity, but for one Penn Hills resident, it’s his therapy.

Carl “Butch” Lang has been helping to maintain the Old German Cemetery, located on the intersection of Hamil and Poketa roads, for nearly the past 10 years. Every Friday, the 59-year-old spends two hours mowing the grass and removing debris around the cemetery. He volunteers his time and money to do the service. While he has onlookers offer him money for his dedication, Lang declines it.

“The fact it looked so nice is what encouraged me to keep doing it,” he said.

Lang said the cemetery was owned by the United German Evangelical Church in Penn Hills before it disbanded in 1875. The last burial at the cemetery was in 2001.

Since his teens, Lang remembers volunteers helping to maintain the cemetery. Out of all those who helped, former Penn Hills Police Officer Stan Nonnenberg stood out to Lang, who said he saw Nonnenberg take care of it until his passing in 2013.

Seeing no one take care of it after Nonnenberg’s passing prompted Lang to use his own tractor mower to cut it. It took Lang, along with his two sons, three to four days to restore the cemetery back to its neat presentation. He knew five veterans were buried at the cemetery and wanted to keep it nice for them. He said he makes sure flags are placed next to their graves.

Lang is not always alone in his effort. Fellow Penn Hills residents Adam and Mark Hollis come out to give a hand to Lang.

“I drove by it every day, and no one was taking care of it before Mr. Lang took care of it,” Adam Hollis said.

Adam Hollis, now 24, said he earned his Eagle Scout Rank for his project on restoring the historic cemetery in 2016. He cut the grass, repaired the fencing around the area and installed a new sign.

“He [Lang] does it out of the goodness of his heart. Not many people would do that,” he said.

Because all the expenses to take care of the cemetery come out of his pocket, Lang recently purchased a new tractor to replace his old one. His wife, Lisa, encouraged him to start a GoFundMe to help pay for the newest equipment.

”This is something he wants to do, and we said we would do whatever we can whether we have enough money or not,” she said.

The couple said even money to continue fueling the tractor can help.

Lang anticipates taking care of the cemetery until his health prevents him from doing so. He hopes others are inspired to do similar acts of service in their communities.

“This is for the whole community,” he said. “Everyone enjoys seeing it cut.”