Finding Shortstack's Replacement A Tall Order After Marysville Cemetery Guard Dies

MARYSVILLE (CBS13) — A new graveyard shift position is opening up in Marysville, but the police chief isn't looking for just anyone to watch over the Marysville cemetery.

The person who takes the job will have to fill some very big shoes. Donald Oliver watched the cemetery for a couple of years until just a couple of weeks ago. It was a job that he loved.

"Affectionately known as Shortstack also known as The Night Watchman," said Police Chief Aaron Easton.

Shortstack stood tall when he landed his new job in 2012. Before that, he didn't have much. He'd been homeless for three years in the river bottoms.

Shortstack maintained the grounds, and, more importantly, he kept vandals away.

"It's very old very historic and the vandalism was pretty bad," Easton said.

Before Shortstack, vandals caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage, knocking down headstones and damaging grave markers. That's when police had the idea of adding a volunteer police position at the cemetery. The kind, homeless man they'd all gotten to know was a perfect fit.

"He would constantly talk about how the Lord's blessed him, and you would look around and you would see his tent and shambles and he was living under a tree," Easton said.

And so Shortstack left the streets and moved into a trailer with his dog. The chief says there were zero cases of vandalism when Shortstack watched the property.

That was until a few days before the new year when Shortstack passed away at the age of 61.

"He was one of us," Easton said. "He loved that cemetery.

And the chief says finding someone to take Shortstack's place won't be easy.

"It's a graveyard," Shortstack said in a 2012 interview. "It's a place where people have lived out their lives. Every life has a history and we should protect that history."

The person who takes his spot will also be protecting Shortstack and his history. He will be buried at the cemetery he loved.

"I think Shortstack would want us to find somebody that has the same pride in it," Easton said.

Finding Shortstack's replacement won't be an easy task, but the police chief says he has a couple of short-term solutions that include patrolling the area a little bit more.