Magnolia Cemetery is the final resting place of more than 15,000 Meridianites including G.V. Sonny Montgomery and the Key Brothers. Photo by Thomas Howard

Work to repair roads in Magnolia Cemetery is nearing complete with the Magnolia Cemetery Beautification and Improvement Committee hoping to complete work by the end of August 2025.

A majority of the project was completed earlier this year with 70% of the roads inside the cemetery leveled, patched and overlayed with asphalt this past spring.  Falcon Contracting, a paving company out of Columbus, Mississippi, is set to begin the final phase Aug. 18.

Tracey Jones, chairperson of the volunteer group said the work will patch any remaining areas that need it and place a seal coat on all the roads in the cemetery. However, she said, the committee is facing a crunch time in fundraising for the project.

“We are so close to being able to get the roads in good shape and protect them with a seal coat,” she said. “Our hope is that families who have loved ones buried at Magnolia will come through quickly with the remaining $3,000 needed to fully fund this last phase of road work.”

After this road work is completed, the group hopes to stay active on a smaller scale to help fund minor renovations.  That would include having the cemetery professionally groomed a couple of times per year to assist the staff in maintaining the nearly 40-acre area.

Magnolia Cemetery is 126 years old and is the final resting place for more than 15,000 people including longtime Congressman, G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery, singer-songwriter Paul Davis and the Key brothers of aviation fame, to name a few.  People can see much more about the history of the cemetery on our website.

Donations to the Magnolia Cemetery Beautification and Improvement Fund can be made online at https://magnoliameridian.com/ or by mail to Community Foundation East MS, P.O. Box 3977, Meridian, MS 39303.