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A helping hand

BY JOHN D. HOMAN, THE SOUTHERN

Friday, March 16, 2007 8:48 AM CDT

MARION - Only two days after it was discovered that 54 headstones had been turned over by vandals at the Maplewood Cemetery in Marion, two local monument companies worked in unison Thursday morning to make the necessary repairs.

John Rose, longtime employee with J.W. Reynolds Rock of Ages Memorials in Vienna, was busy resetting the stones with fellow employees, Marion city workers and Scott Patterson with American Monument Co. of Marion.

"Over the years, we've helped straighten out monuments at Mount Vernon, Eldorado and Paducah cemeteries," he said. "Thankfully, it doesn't happen that frequently, just every so often."

Rose said a special compound was used as a sealer for marble and granite when the stones were placed back on their base.

"Fortunately, not many were damaged that badly," he said.

Three to be precise, said Patterson, who was in the process of hauling them back to his office for repairs.

"I'll glue the broken pieces back in layers and then use a special tool to smooth down the stone before taking them back to the cemetery for sealing," Patterson said. "It's a good thing we didn't catch the guys who did this damage. I don't think you can get any lower than vandalizing a cemetery."

Rhonda Webb, general manager of the Reynolds division of Rock of Ages Memorials, said donating time and money to the cause was an easy decision for her.

"It's something that we want to do as a company - give back to the families and communities that have supported us so much over the years. Anytime we know of a cemetery that has been hit by vandals, we try to contact the cemetery sexton or a city official to let them know we will help."

Webb said she wasn't surprised Patterson was also at the cemetery to lend a helping hand.

"Scott and I may be competitors, but we're neighbors first," she said. "We all went back and ate pizza for lunch at the cemetery office after we finished up our work today."

john.homan@thesouthern.com

351-5805