Locals celebrate dedication of new veterans memorial near Rigby
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LEWISVILLE – After months of fundraising and planning, the Lewisville Veterans Foundation held a dedication ceremony Saturday morning for its new veterans monument at the Lewisville Cemetery northwest of Rigby.
Two 4-foot-by-5-foot engraved stone monuments were installed on a concrete pad on the north end of the cemetery Friday night. There are more than 400 names listed on the monuments dating as far back as the Mormon Battalion during the 1840s. The most recent veterans listed on the monument served in the global war on terror.
The monument also includes a custom-made gold star freedom bell in the center. It includes a gold star at the top and a glass creation of the American flag. Four stone benches will be placed around the perimeter of the monument, and there will be a large flag pole with solar lighting.
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JaNeal Nield, the chair of the Lewisville Veterans Foundation, spearheaded this project last fall. More than $25,000 were donated by community members to make this happen and she’s amazed at how it’s all come together.
“It’s so awesome,” Nield tells EastIdahoNews.com. “We couldn’t have done it without everybody’s help.”
Mark Williamson, who sits on the board with Nield, expresses a similar sentiment, saying “it was a great project” to be involved in and he appreciates the support from the community.
Murdoch Memorials in Idaho Falls did the engravings for the tablets and benches. The freedom bell was created by Doug and Dianne Adams of Malad.
David Murdoch, the owner of Murdoch Memorials who lives in Lewisville, says he enjoyed working with the foundation to create such a rewarding project. It was quite a feat to compile the list of names and verify the period of service.
The large size of the stone monuments posed a challenge in completing the engravings, which took about three days to finish.
Although he’s not closely related to anyone on the monument, it was meaningful for him to be involved in a project that’s close to home.
“We take great pride in honoring those members of the military branches that served our country,” Murdoch says. “To be part of this and actually live here in Lewisville held extra meaning in being able to put this together.”
Similarly, the Adams don’t have any direct ties to veterans listed on the monument, but it was an honor for them to create the freedom bell.
Doug says the bell was made from scrap steel. The star on top is a tribute to gold star families. The term Gold Star Family refers to family members of servicemen who died in service to the country. Doug notes that 11 of the veterans listed on the monument were killed in action and buried overseas. Family members for two of those veterans were in attendance at Saturday’s dedication.
Doug created his first freedom bell about 40 years ago, but didn’t start doing it full time until about 2005. The freedom bell at the Lewisville Cemetery is his 5,000th bell to date.
Dianne is a painter by profession and created the glass artwork for the bell.
“The glass is recycled as well. It came out of a company that crushed glass and made flooring for cruise ships and airports,” she says.
Collectively, the couple put in about 80 hours on this project and it’s a thrill for them to have their work displayed for future generations to enjoy.
“I’m a veteran myself and I am so honored (to be involved in this),” says Doug. “The Walker Family, who commissioned this sculpture — their father was a veteran in the Navy. He was born one year before my father, who also served in the Navy. For me to have this commission means everything to me.”
During the dedication ceremony, the foundation recognized several local veterans for their service. Among them is Lorin Heward of Idaho Falls. He fought 11 battles aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise during World War II and is turning 100 this year.
Howard Kinghorn, a 90-year-old Rigby man who served in the army during WWII, was also recognized. The committee paid tribute to Col. Orren Squires as well. He’s a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force who just completed his tenth and final deployment overseas.
“It’s been a great opportunity to serve our community and honor our veterans,” says Doug Walker, a member of the Lewisville Veterans Foundation board. “It didn’t matter where you currently live or whether you had any ties to Lewisville, we made sure their names were on these tablets.”
