KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Connections in the Belton community helped secure access to see damage inside the closed historic cemetery. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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Cleanup from Friday's EF1 tornado that passed through Belton is still ongoing, and work won't begin until Tuesday in the town's historic cemetery.
Elmer Larkey, president of the Belton Cemetery Association, took KSHB 41 Cass County reporter Ryan Gamboa to see the damage.
About 50 headstones sit beneath fallen tree limbs. It's unclear how many have been damaged, but some appeared to have toppled or blown off their base.
"I bet there’s 2,000 people I knew personally that are buried here," Larkey shared. "There’s so many good people here; it’ll be back in about a month."
Larkey's connection goes beyond his 20 years as the cemetery president. Three sets of his grandparents are buried in the garden.
"I hate to see it devastated. When I come out here, Ryan, it was devastated," Larkey said with tears in his eyes. "It's just because I know people here."
There's plenty of notable names buried in the cemetery, including esteemed author Dale Carnegie, who wrote "How to Win Friends and Influence People," and Carrie Nation, a leader in the temperance movement.
There's a large tree that sits in the middle of the historic cemetery that received significant damage. Larkey called it a "monument" in the town.
"I don’t know, it was just a monument. Is what it was," he said. " It's hard to tell how long it’s been there. We figure it’s probably been here longer than the cemetery."
Just southwest of the famed tree sits the towering Hope Monument, a marker for about 30 graves purchased by the George D. Hope Lumber Company. It remains untouched and without damage, according to Larkey. He told KSHB 41 that many residents were concerned whether it would still be standing.
While the cemetery must wait to have its tree limbs removed until Tuesday, LifeQuest Church and its congregation rallied to clean up storm damage this weekend.
On Sunday, they served 300 meals to impacted neighbors — breakfast, lunch and dinner. Gamboa was able to ride along with one of its suppertime delivery crews.
"It’s a lot about normalcy. We live our lives, and we don’t understand those that have gone through something like this," said LifeQuest Church Pastor Tim Goulet. "It will get back to normal, but it’s gonna take some time. That’s why little glimpses of hope are so beneficial."
Chris Pinion, the church's lead pastor and founder, canceled services on Sunday and encouraged his pews to remain empty.
"Our church is here to serve," Pinion said. "If everybody would just work together, it becomes a beautiful thing."
While crews continue to repair power lines and neighbors continue assessing damage, there's a long road ahead for the Belton Cemetery.
It's anticipated it should take about a month to get everything back in order, but a full assessment of the condition of the headstones can't take place until the limbs are disposed of on Tuesday.
Larkey maintains his optimism the cemetery will return to what it was before the storm.
"It’s just been a part of me. It’s hard to say it was devastating; it really was [sad] to see much damage in so little time," Larkey said. "But we will [be] back, and it’ll get back."
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