Teenagers volunteer to help repair headstones at Brookside Cemetery

By CRISTINA TRAPANI-SCOTT

Last week, Brookside Cemetery staff arrived at work to find 37 grave markers damaged by vandals. This week, two Tecumseh teens, a Clinton teen and a Blissfield teen have eased the blow by volunteering to help staff repair the markers that can be repaired.
Aaron Findley, 16 and Evan Burr, 16, of Tecumseh, Chett Albee, 18, of Clinton and Emily Miller, 17, of Blissfield assisted Cemetery Supt. Dan Righter and cemetery staff members David Fritz and Andy Fisher for two hours Monday afternoon as they repaired several marble headstones that were damaged.

Findley’s great grandparents are buried in the cemetery and, for the past ten years, he’s been involved with the reenactments at the cemetery that are put on during the weekend of the Promenade tours. He’s portrayed Tecumseh Civil War and World War II veterans who are buried there. “Because I’ve done the cemetery tours, I wanted to help,” he said. “I’ve heard stories of some of these people three or four times. There is really quite a bit of history here if you know the stories.”

Miller, who is from Blissfield, also has participated in cemetery tours and knows Findley through their participating in the 4th Michigan Company G Civil War reenactment group. She wrote a letter expressing her concern about the damaged markers. “I am absolutely disgusted,” she said. “I am 17 years old and a senior at Blissfield High School. There is no need for teens or anyone to vandalize headstones in a cemetery. They were real people. They have stories just like us.” She’s also portrayed historical figures at Brookside as have Burr and Albee. They all said it has been a great way for them to learn about and understand the history of Tecumseh and Lenawee County.

The four teens helped to carefully move pieces of broken headstones onto sheets of plywood so they could be pieced back together. Righter said most of the markers damaged were marble and extremely heavy, so the extra help was definitely needed.
Findley’s mother, Nancy, accompanied the teens to the cemetery and said she was amazed that the kids spent two hours helping Righter and his staff. “He was very patient with them and taught them how to put the stones together,” she said.

Righter appreciated the help. “I think it’s great. We need more people like them,” he said. “The thing that gets me is the kids who did this, if they had a mother, a sister, a brother or a father buried here, it wouldn’t have been fun to them.”

The Tecumseh Police Department continues to investigate the vandalism and has offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects responsible for the damage.