Pocatello Sexton retiring after more than four decades of service

Martin Peace never imagined he would work as a sexton. He wanted to work with cars, but instead found a part-time job at Mountain View Cemetery in 1976.

“I got laid off that season and I was offered a job back by the supervisor in the winter of 1976, and I came back in ’77 and he put me on full-time,” Peace said. “And I’ve been on full-time ever since.”

He started just mowing the law and has since dug graves, removed trees and even done some plumbing as he moved up the ranks at the cemetery.

For the last 28 years, he’s served as the sexton. Even though it was never what he planned to do, he found that he liked the work, so he stuck with it.

“To me, it was easy,” Peace said.

Each day, Peace takes people around the cemetery, helping them to pick out plots and giving them advice on burials.

He says he loves helping people, part of what has made the job easy for him.

“It’s just a rewarding thing,” he said. “I’m the kind of guy who will, if I see someone along the road that needs help, I’ll help. I just like helping people.”

Looking back, one of Peace’s proudest achievements is the restoration of the Restlawn Cemetery, which the city purchased in 2001.

“I’ve had hundreds of people congratulate me and or the City of Pocatello taking over the cemetery. It relieved a lot of people because there’s a lot of families with lots and people out there at Restlawn were pretty distressed about the condition of the cemetery … we got it lookin’ really good.”

On June 28, Peace has decided he will step away from it all and retire. He said that there are many places he’d like to visit, such as Alaska and Australia, and continue to work on the classic cars he owns.

And, at the end of it all, Peace believes he will be resting in peace at Mountain View.

“I think so,” he said. “I already have my spaces picked out.”