Source: tatyana_tomsickova / Getty
How long have you been at your job? One Indiana man has been digging his job for 68 years and 191 days. Allen McCloskey was recently recognized by Guinness World Records for the longest career as a male gravedigger. His career began on Aug. 28, 1952, and he has dug over 5,600 graves across 21 cemeteries in his native Cass County.
Source: tirc83 / Getty
Family and friends gathered to recognize McCloskey’s contribution to the community. His son, Dean, compiled evidence of his father’s work and sent it to Guinness for verification. His father conducted most of his business with a handshake, so it was a task to provide the required documents.
Allen McCloskey, 89, of Galveston, walked into the Young America Center United Methodist Church with a present in hand Sunday afternoon, April 16, fully expecting to celebrate his friend Chris Weaver’s birthday. https://t.co/ke63bVntK5
— Pharos-Tribune (@pharostribune) April 18, 2023
Early Career and Achievements of a Gravedigger
McCloskey dug his first grave in 1952 for Joe Williamson at the Center Cemetery in Young America. He dug graves by hand for five years before buying a backhoe. In 1962, he dug his 100th grave and averaged 1,000 graves every nine years. Over time, he dug his 4,000th grave in 2002 and topped 5,000 in 2013.
Source: Andres Valdes Navarrete / Getty
He is known for his humility, and according to Chris Weaver, a funeral director at Murray-Weaver Funeral Home, McCloskey is “the best grave digger in North Central Indiana.”
One of the most challenging tasks of his gravedigger career was digging the plots for his own family members. These plots include his father, his mother, and his wife. Although McCloskey’s children helped him with his wife’s plot. According to his son Dean, it was the hardest thing they ever did.
Source: Douglas Sacha / Getty
The celebration in McCloskey’s honor was a way to give back to the man who had given so much to his family and community. As McCloskey continues to use his tractor to dig graves, he has become a symbol of dedication, hard work, and service to others.
