By Khalida Sarwari
Steve Albright received a warm welcome at a reception with the Madronia Cemetery board of trustees, business leaders and civic and community leaders earlier this month when he was named the cemetery’s new general manager.
Albright, 53, replaces Gary Reed, who retired after working at Madronia for 27 years. Albright came on board at Madronia as an assistant manager in 2013 after serving at the Los Gatos Cemetery for nearly three decades.
“I’m very happy to be part of such a beautiful cemetery and will strive to provide a professional, caring staff that is dedicated to serving the needs of the community,” Albright said.
As general manager, Albright will be tasked with overseeing the maintenance of the grounds, staff and the cemetery’s finances. He said he will seek to improve Madronia’s operations.
“We are fortunate to have Steve, who has much experience and enthusiasm for the position,” said Madronia board chairwoman Judy Johnstone.
Established in 1854, Madronia is considered to be one of the oldest cemeteries in the county and is the only one in Saratoga. The land was donated by Jose Ramon Arguello and designated as a burial ground. Over time it became the final resting place for a number of well-known local figures, including Mary Brown, wife of abolitionist John Brown; Riley Septimus Moutrey, who was on the first trip to rescue the Donner party; Sunshine Williams, founder of the Blossom Festival; and Augustus J. Dowd, who found the Discovery Tree at Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Buried alongside them are more than 9,000 veterans, some from as far back as the Civil War. Every year, the cemetery holds a celebration on Memorial Day to honor their lives.
The cemetery is nonprofit and receives funding through property taxes.
“The cemetery is just for the residents of Saratoga, which is really, really unique,” said Albright.
Given the cemetery’s abundance of unusual trees that add to its character, the board of trustees is looking to formally dedicate Madronia as an arboretum next year, said Debra Cummins, one of five board members.
Albright is a graduate of West Valley College. He and his wife, Janice, live in San Jose and have four adult children. Janice Albright is the owner of the Village Burger Bar in downtown Saratoga.
He and his family will move into a house near Madronia in the next six months, as is the custom for Madronia’s general managers.
The cemetery board’s reception for Albright was held on Oct. 16. Among the roughly 60 guests in attendance were county Supervisor Joe Simitian, Mayor Howard Miller and city council members, as well as members of the Saratoga Historical Foundation, Heritage Preservation Commission and Chamber of Commerce. During the reception, former planning commissioner Yan Zhao was appointed as a trustee to replace James Nunn, who has moved out of the area.
Other recent additions to Madronia are Norman Koepernick to the board of trustees and Ron Davey as assistant manager. Davey is a former funeral director at the Alameda Family Funeral and Cremation.
