Fulfilling a promise: Sisters fight through thorns and ticks to reach Korean War veteran uncle’s grave

MORGAN COUNTY, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – Shelva Rowe and her sister Annelle Lord never met their uncle, Bearl E. Jones. But through family stories, they know exactly who he was.

“He was everything. He was the first born son, all his siblings looked up to him,” Rowe said.

That leadership carried over to his military service. Jones served in the Marines and reached the rank of corporal, spending four years in the military, including a tour overseas during the Korean War.

After returning from his service, Jones became ill. He died from health complications at the age of 25.

He is buried in rural Morgan County — and getting to his grave is no easy task.

Off Highway 519, the road goes from asphalt to muddy grass. Rowe and Lord park at the bottom of a steep hill, then push through thorns, fight off ticks, and duck under tree limbs just to reach his grave.

It is a journey they make at least once a year on Memorial Day, when family gathers to clean the graves and honor Jones’ service to his country. For some family members, the hike is simply too much.

“They try to come as much as they can, but they are getting older and they can’t make this walk anymore,” Rowe said.

Without action, nature will eventually take over the cemetery.

“He makes me want to cry. Because it makes me so sad that it’s hard to get up here. We don’t want to not fulfill our promise we made to our grandma and our dad,” Rowe said.

That promise is simple.

“That we wouldn’t forget him,” Rowe said.

Rowe and Lord have set up a GoFundMe, saying they hope to raise the money to repair the road leading to the cemetery. The goal is to make sure their family can always reach Jones’ grave and keep it maintained. But this isn’t just about preserving one memory. It’s about keeping their entire family legacy alive.

“It’s kept him alive, his memory alive and doing so we’re keep our family loved ones alive as well,” Lord said.

Just as Corporal Jones once led his family by example, his nieces are now leading theirs, making sure the family promise never fades.

“He isn’t going to be forgotten. I’m teaching my girls to make sure they carry on this legacy,” Rowe said.

If you would like to help to their cause you click on their GoFundMe page for more information.