Ron's Last Project - Cemetery Restoration

Ronald B. Hagar (Ron) went missing December 21, 2024. In a tragic loss, our father's deceased body was found Jan 5, 2025, in Savannah, GA. Ron is a retiree of Libbey Glass after almost 30 years of service and spent the rest of his life working on many different projects for his wife, friends, and mostly the community.

As an environmental activist, he worked to stop the open burning of chemicals at the former Army ammunition plant in Minden, LA, which eventually led to the total cleanup of the site. During the decade spent on Camp Minden, he found time to stand up against a pipeline crossing Louisiana wetlands, the Bayou Bridge Pipeline. These are just two community projects of many... Yet, he still found spare time to restore land inherited by his deceased wife, Cheryl Elaine Babers (d. 12/16/23). Her family lived and worked this land for more than 100 years, and it was her dream to leave it the way her family found it, in its untouched natural beauty. Ron worked for more than 10 years restoring it to its natural makeup of long leaf pines, native grasses, and habitat for many species of animals. Found in the heart of some of the forest land is the Babers Cemetery.

Ron and his beloved wife shared 22 years together. When she left this world in December of 2023, our dad's last project in her memory was to restore the cemetery and place a marker with her name among her ancestors. This final project was put on hold through the winter of 2024-25. The project was, until now, lost with him.

I'm the oldest of his 3 sons: David, Abrahm, and Ben. It is our wish to finish our "dad's last project" by salvaging this historical cemetery and creating a permanent memory of Cheryl, Ron, and her ancestors. The historic family cemetery is in need of clearing of overgrowth, repairing headstones, and securing its place within the forest with fencing. It is our wish to also place a granite bench, in their memory, as a symbol of their watching over the historic burial ground.

The video attached by professional historian Brad Dison is a must-watch even if now is not the right time to make a contribution. The history is intriguing, at minimum, but certainly a reminder of how good we have it in these modern days.

We are fundraising to complete our dad's last project, preserve history, and memorialize Cheryl, Ron, and the Babers Ancestry. We greatly appreciate any contributions made!