Cemetery, which was damaged by ice from the Maumee River. Free Press Photo by Fred Altvater.
When the Maumee River flooded two weeks ago it sent huge chunks of ice careening into Riverside Cemetery in Maumee, knocking over monuments, destroying trees, fences and anything in its path. In all nearly 90% of the 1,900 monuments in the cemetery were toppled over, moved off their foundation, or require some repair. Area residents were amazed by huge sheets of ice covering River Road from Side Cut Park to Stitt Road as the total damage has been estimated at over $1 million.
Two local monument companies, Artistic Memorials from Perrysburg and Maumee Valley Memorials from Waterville are volunteering their equipment, manpower and time to reset the monuments and restore the cemetery to its original condition.
On Monday both companies sent crane trucks and crews to the cemetery to upright headstones and identify those in need of repair. Some stones had been moved as much as 25 feet from their original locations, while a small percentage remain untouched.
Jeff Pettit, owner of Artistic Memorials, told the Toledo Free Press,
“This work will take several days and may even span months to complete. On Monday the two crews were only able to upright approximately 100 of the nearly 1,700 monuments dislodged.”
“The work is also hampered with nearly 50% of the cemetery still covered in 3’-4’ of ice,” he added.
Alan Taraschke, Supervisor of Operations for the City of Maumee expressed his gratitude for the additional help from Artistic Memorials and Maumee Valley Memorials,
“The time and effort they have donated to the city of Maumee thus far has been invaluable. The city normally only uprights 10-15 stones annually. A job of this magnitude requires the expertise of these two companies. I cannot express how much their help means to the city.”
There is still much remaining to accomplish at Riverside Cemetery and the two local companies have committed to continue to help restore it to the original condition.
Fishing, boating, picnicking and hiking the many trails along the banks of the Maumee River provide many hours of outdoor recreation for area residents. Every few years the river reminds us of the awesome power, hidden behind its normal tranquility.
