Officers and members of the Rebecca Bryan Boone and Mary Ingles Chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution cleaned gravestones at the Veterans’ Section of Evergreen Cemetery in Southgate over the last several months.
Some of members have family members, including Revolutionary War Patriots, buried at the cemetery. They wanted to be sure the gravestones were cleaned before the Wreaths Across America celebration at Evergreen on December 19.
A gravestone before and after cleaning.
The DAR members watched YouTube instructions on Gravestone Cleaning and Preservation and tried cleaning before asking others to join in. The Veterans’ section is on a hillside, and they wanted to be sure this was something they could do safely and effectively.
Five gravestones were cleaned the first day. The volunteers were astounded at the before and after pictures.
In addition to honoring those who had sacrificed so much, they were out in the sunshine and bright fall colors and were meeting with friends after living for months with the restrictions of COVID-19. It’s not exaggerating to say they bordered on euphoric.
Every Friday and Saturday during October, the Chapters arrived, four to eight members for one to three hours, to clean graves. To instill a sense of gratitude and history, children and grandchildren were encouraged to join in.
Cleaning the gravestones before Wreaths Across America helped express appreciation and show Veterans and their families that their sacrifice will never be forgotten. Each week, flowers appear near the newly cleaned stones and the volunteers know that families are aware of their efforts.
DAR volunteers clean veterans’ gravestones at Evergreen Cemetery in Southgate. The hillside is brighter.
