Presently, St. Matthews Cemetery serves the church and the surrounding Lima and Cridersville community. Full burial lots and columbarium niches for cremation urns are available to anyone interested in the interment of their loved ones. If interested, contact the church office (Monday thru Thursday 10am-3pm) and they will assist you with pricing and availability questions. A second columbarium was just recently completed in 2022 and a whole new section of over 500 new cemetery lots added. You may call 419 999-5329 for more information.
HISTORY OF ST. MATTHEWS CEMETERY
St. Matthews Cemetery's first burial was in 1837. Mary Shaffer, one of the first burials in the cemetery, has a well- worn gravestone marking that spot. Eventually the land of the cemetery was plotted and the first lot was sold to Isaac Nungster. Many of the founding members and their family may be found in the cemetery such as the DeLong, Mowery, Shappell, Bowsher, Reichelderfer, Brandt, Loyer, Moyer, Crider, Spyker, Sellers and Meffley families. These families came out in wagons pulled by oxen and their descendants still host a Big 5 Reunion every year.
A proud moment for the cemetery was the opening of the first Columbarium, Matthew. It is a beautiful addition to the grounds and has been very popular. A second Columbarium, Mark, has since been added. A new section of ground for traditional burial plots has been plotted, also. St. Matthews Cemetery has been and will continue to be, for many generations, a serene, beautiful resting place for our Lutheran brothers and sisters and others from the community.
Memorial Day Flags and Renovations
Our newest upgrade in 2025 is a new drive around the most recently added section of the cemetery on the SW corner of the property.
Apollo Career Center Students worked hard to complete the task and now those purchasing gravesites in the future have easier access on the southside of the lots right behind the two Columbariums.
