REBECCA (Oakwood Cemetery Resident Fawn 2015)

  
 
In the spring of 2015 a fawn was born inside the fences of Oakwood Cemetery. Unable to follow her mother over the fences or negotiate the gates she stayed inside the cemetery. Her mother would come at night to feed her, but then would leave again during the day. During one of these typical days, Peggy, one of our Oakwood volunteers noticed the fawn. She would lie still and unless you were looking for her, she would not be seen. The normal course of nature is that as soon as the fawn is capable, they will stay with the mother. That was not to be the case. The fawn grew bigger over the weeks and was spotted more often and by more visitors. Concern for her well being promoted calls to the local DNR for guidance on the situation. As long as she was healthy and caused no danger there was little to be done. The instructions were to leave her as is, with the hopes that she would eventually leave on her own.
 
Peggy checked on her daily and eventual named her "Rebecca", after her first sighting near a marker with the same name. Citizens who noticed the fawn on their regular visits started making sure there was food and water for her. Rebecca's fear had diminished to the point where she would follow people on their walks or even greet people with a surprise visit. For one brief special summer, a fawn named Rebecca blessed Oakwood adding to the beauty and tranquility. Her presents drew people to the cemetery that had never been there and was a source of joy for those who visited regularly.  
 
In the fall, it is believed that two young boys seeing how tame Rebecca appeared to be, wanted to make her their pet. Placing a collar over her head caused her to react fearfully and run off wildly. She was found some days later near the cemetery. She is believed to have passed away from exhaustion.
Rebecca was gentle enough to share her short life with us, but still wild in the end. A marker was donated by Jackson Monuments as a memorial to her memory.