Meet the GraveGeeks: CrazyCemeteryLady, MacGyver's Garage, and TashasGraveAdventures

At GraveGeek Volunteers Inc., our mission is carried out by caring, skilled individuals who give their time, compassion, and curiosity to preserving history. From cleaning and documenting to researching ancestry and advocating for forgotten cemeteries, our volunteers are the driving force behind this work's success.

We are going to start introducing our GraveGeek's in a blog post each month.

Today, we’re proud to share the stories of three amazing members of our community: CrazyCemeteryLady, Mac (MacGyver's Garage), and Tasha (TashasGraveAdventures). Each brings a different journey, but all share the same passion, honoring those who came before us.

CrazyCemeteryLady

New York • Cofounder • Cemetery & Research Volunteer • OG GraveGeek • Registrar, LeRay de Chaumont Chapter, NSDAR

If you’ve spent any time in the GraveGeeks community, then you already know CrazyCemeteryLady. As a cofounder of GraveGeek Volunteers Inc., she helped lay the foundation of the organization from the very beginning, and she was the person who started Thursday Lives, creating a space that brought together volunteers, history lovers, and researchers week after week.

Her journey into cemetery preservation began during COVID, when she was searching for something meaningful, grounding, and outdoors. What started as simple walks through cemeteries quickly grew into a passion for uncovering stories, preserving memory, and caring for forgotten spaces. It didn’t take long before she was cleaning stones, digging into genealogies, and reconnecting families with ancestors they didn’t even know were there.

Over time, she became involved in both hands-on cemetery work and historical research, developing a deep appreciation for the people behind the stones she restored. She also now serves as the Registrar for the LeRay de Chaumont Chapter, NSDAR, where she helps others explore their lineage and honor their heritage.

Her work with GraveGeeks includes everything from cleaning, documenting, mapping, and repairing stones to supporting fellow volunteers and helping shape the community’s welcoming environment. Her humor, honesty, and willingness to help anyone who asks have made her a beloved figure within the group.

Her advice to new volunteers is something many in the community carry with them:

“Ask the question you think is stupid, because it’s not stupid—we all need to learn and grow.”

Mac (MacGyver's Garage)

New York/ Pennsylvania • Cemetery & Research Volunteer • The Traveler • OG GraveGeek • Aspiring SAR Member

Mac, known as MacGyvers Garage, is an OG GraveGeek whose hands-on dedication has made him one of the pillars of this community. Working across both New York and Pennsylvania (and everywhere else), he is often the first person to volunteer for long-distance projects, overgrown cemeteries, or challenging sites that require grit and experience.

His journey began nearly 25 years ago with a simple question about his own family history. Researching the Johnson, Benedict, Sperry, and Talcott lines led him deep into genealogy, but it wasn’t until 2018, when he found his great-grandfather’s gravestone in need of care, that everything changed. Cleaning that stone ignited a passion for restoring history, which soon expanded into clearing abandoned cemeteries, removing overgrowth, documenting forgotten burials, and repairing neglected sites throughout rural communities.

Mac is the kind of volunteer who does whatever needs doing—cleaning, repairing, documenting, researching, traveling long distances, contributing to Find A Grave, and helping fellow GraveGeeks learn and grow. His hard work and dependable presence have helped set the tone for what it means to be part of this organization.

His advice for newcomers reflects his decades of combined genealogy and preservation experience:

“Learn everything you can about the process. Some damage cannot be repaired.”

Tasha (TashasGraveAdventures)

New York • Cofounder • Cemetery & Research Volunteer • Public Historian • OG GraveGeek

• Registrar, Historian & Corresponding Secretary – Ontario Chapter, NSDAR • NYS NSDAR Vice Chair – Junior Membership Committee

Tasha, known on social media as TashasGraveAdventures, is a cofounder of GraveGeek Volunteers Inc., an OG GraveGeek, and a trained public historian whose academic research helped formalize the nonprofit. She also serves in multiple leadership roles within the DAR, including Registrar, Historian, and Corresponding Secretary for the Ontario Chapter, and NYS NSDAR Vice Chair for the Junior Membership Committee.

Her journey began in 2018 after the passing of her grandfather. While sorting through his home, she and her mother discovered years of genealogy notes that reignited their interest in family history. Visiting cemeteries during that research made them realize how many burial grounds were in disrepair and how badly preservation work was needed. What started with restoring stones in their own Westcott line snowballed into attending cemetery board meetings, learning proper preservation techniques, joining the Daughters of the American Revolution, and diving into hands-on restoration throughout New York.

In 2021, she met CrazyCemeteryLady, and together they envisioned a foundation that would become GraveGeek Volunteers Inc., something they never actually thought would happen. This work inspired Tasha to pursue her Master of Arts in History (Public History), and she graduated with a perfect score on her thesis documenting the creation and purpose of GraveGeeks.

Her advice for new volunteers is simple but essential:

“If you have to question whether you should scrub, don’t.”

These stories remind us that our work isn’t just about cleaning stones or researching names, it’s about community. It’s about showing up for one another, honoring the people who came before us, and making sure that history has caretakers in every corner of the map.

Whether you clean, research, document, advocate, or simply cheer us on from home, you’re part of what makes GraveGeeks special, and we’re always excited to welcome new faces into this growing family.

If you feel called to join us, whether for hands-on cemetery work, genealogy research, or digital support, we’d love to have you.

With Love,

TashasGraveAdventures