Juanita and Archie Swope Memorial - Loon Lake, WA
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T0SHEA
N 48° 03.280 W 117° 36.613
11U E 454528 N 5322556
Near the cemetery entrance, beside the Loon Lake Cemetery sign is this memorial plaque, placed in memory of Juanita and Archie Swope.
Waymark Code: WMK9WX
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 03/06/2014
Views: 2
The plaque is mounted on a low plinth and was placed by the Swope's daughter, Inez McKeehen. The plinth appears to be made of concrete and rests on a small concrete base. The plaque is bronze. Nearby is another memorial, this one a war memorial placed by the Deer Park American Legion.
Archie Swope, born on October 9th, 1887, lived to become a centenarian, passing away in February of 1988. Juanita was born in 1902 and passed away on December 29th, 1986. They were married September 8th, 1920 and together were the postmasters of Loon Lake for 56 years, from 1916 to 1972. Archie retired as postmaster in 1957, at which time Juanita assumed the post and continued in the position until 1972. She was also a custodian and school bus driver for the Loon Lake School District. They are both interred in this cemetery. Inez McKeehen, who placed the memorial, has since also passed away and is buried in the cemetery.
Founded in about 1890, the first known burial in the cemetery was in January of 1892. Still in use, the cemetery has been added to since its founding and now contains some 400 gravesites. This is the only cemetery serving the community of Loon Lake.
It is fairly well maintained, probably by the town of Loon Lake. Shaded by a pine forest, the entire cemetery is covered in a layer of old pine needles. Toward the southern edge of the cemetery and to the south of the main roadway is an old hand operated water pump. It probably supplied many a funeral goer with a refreshing drink in years gone by, but now has a sign hanging from it warning against drinking the water.
