The drive into Sunnyside Cemetery in Coupeville is aptly named Sherman Road. While Island County owns the cemetery, it has been managed by a Sherman for over a century.

The cemetery sits at the top of a hill overlooking Ebey’s prairie and the ocean. The wind whips so hard the ground sometimes shakes, and the trees are twisted from growing in this environment. Eagles are fond of the area, often perching on horizontal branches during burials.

Any visitor would recognize the names on prominent headstones, as they are shared by many of the places, towns, streets, lakes, trails and businesses around the island. The Barringtons, Coupes, Ebeys, Engles, Hasties, Kettles, Maylors, Pratts, Shermans and other founding and prominent Whidbey families are buried there.

Steve Deakin, who maintains the cemetery, may spend more time among the headstones than anybody.

“They talk to me,” he said. “They say, ‘Come weed me.’”

Those who spend enough time in the cemetery come across remarkable individuals. Vin Sherman, who took over as sexton last year, has known many of them personally.

Deakin saw a young marine often kneeling at a headstone and talked to him one day. He said his grandfather, Robert Shafer, served during World War II, and he ran up a hill in Italy to rescue his wounded lieutenant and carry him down to the aid station. Then, he ran back and fought with the remaining soldiers, saving many of them too.

“I knew him,” Sherman said, looking at the headstone. “His wife is a good friend of mine. She sings next to me in the choir. Betty Shafer, she’s a wonderful lady. I didn’t know her husband was a hero.”

Sunnyside Cemetery is an expansion of the original plot for Isaac Ebey, the first white resident of Whidbey, and his family. At 39 years old, a northern tribe came to Whidbey on a mission to kill Dr. John Kellogg and ended up beheading him instead.

Sherman said the head was eventually found and returned to the body in the ground.

Kellogg is also buried at Sunnyside. A memorial for Ah Soot, a Chinese laborer on Ebey’s prairie, sits in the cemetery as well.

There sits a temporary headstone for Joan Nykreim, the first female elevator operator in the Space Needle. She was among a team known as the Sky Pilotesses, who donned uniforms Nykreim designed.

William Thompkins starred alongside Clint Eastwood in the show “Rawhide.” Dr. Charles Carrico was the first doctor to treat President Kennedy after he was assassinated.

The cemetery also holds countless ship captains and ship builders, prominent figures in local history.

There is also a Fred Kreuger, who has been at the cemetery long before “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” That didn’t stop a group of kids from stealing the headstone, Sherman said. The cemetery replaced it with one that’d be nearly impossible to yank from the ground.

Thankfully, this is the only case of vandalism Sherman can recall.

There are, of course, many personal headstones to Sherman as he wanders the grounds. His great-grandfather fought in the Civil War. His grandfather and his father were once sextons at Sunnyside.

The Shermans made way to Whidbey via the Barringtons, he said. Sherman’s great-grandfather looked for work on the dock in Everett, where Edward Barrington was a ferry boat captain.

“He said, ‘They are digging potatoes up on Whidbey Island. I’ll give you a ride if you want a job,’” Sherman said. “So that’s how we ended up here.”

Sherman continued to see familiar names as he ambled.

“My second wife is there,” he said, pointing, “and my first wife is buried there, and after that I had two long term lady friends, and they are both buried here too, so I got a lot of ladies buried here.”

Sunnyside Cemetery is perhaps the only cemetery in the country with a blockhouse. Settlers built the Davis Blockhouse in 1855 for battles with Natives. Today, holes line the walls for rifle barrels.

Sherman and Deakin said they take pride in assisting the burials. Deakin, a former Marine, recently worked a Marine officer burial. An entire squad showed up in dress uniforms and performed the gun salute, which was special.

“I treat everybody like family,” Deakin said. “I’m a god-fearing man. I love Jesus, and giving these people hope, speaking the truth to them and letting them know what’s what.”

Deakin maintains the larger, pioneer headstones, but not too much; he wants to retain their historical and natural beauty.

This is a challenge sometimes, especially for the older, wooden headstones. Today, headstones must be made with a long-lasting material. Deakin must decide how to authentically preserve, or if he can or should preserve, the deteriorating markers.

Many cold, dark nights, these keepers walk the cemetery grounds among the howling wind. Despite ancient stories of beheadings, charismatic characters below the surface and countless hours prowling the graveyard, no one has seen a ghost.

Sherman was clear about that.

“This is not a haunted cemetery,” he said. “Halloween is just another day here.”

Joan Nykreim, the first female elevator operator in the Space Needle, is buried at Sunnyside Cemetery. (Photo by Sam Fletcher)

Steve Deakin, groundskeeper at Sunnyside Cemetery, points to Kettle family plots. (Photo by Sam Fletcher)

Sunnyside Cemetery was expanded from the headstone of Isaac Ebey, the first white resident of Whidbey. (Photo by Sam Fletcher)

Ah Soot, a Chinese laborer at Ebey’s prairie, is honored at Sunnyside Cemetery. (Photo by Sam Fletcher)

Vin Sherman stands before the headstone of his great grandfather who fought in the Civil War. (Photo by Sam Fletcher)

Sunnyside cemetery is a forest of prominent headstones. (Photo by Sam Fletcher)

Sunnyside cemetery is a forest of prominent headstones. (Photo by Sam Fletcher)