Veterans memorial made possible by donations

A new veterans memorial in St. Francis Xavier cemetery stands as a tribute to those who served and a testament to the community that made it possible.

"I want to thank everybody that helped us get this far with all their donations," said LeRoy Fischer, who spearheaded the project.

Plans for the veterans memorial started after local barber LeRoy Ficher, himself a veteran, acquired the canon which had graced the lawn of Old City Hall for decades. He took the canon with the intention that it be properly displayed as a tribute to veterans. After he approached Father Mike McLain of St. Francis about placing the canon in the cemetery, the memorial took on a life of its own.

The church donated a section of the cemetery for the veterans memorial garden, where 135 burial plots are being reserved specifically for veterans and their spouse, regardless of religious affiliation.

Over the past 18 months, donations poured in from individuals, businesses and organizations to make the dreams for the memorial a reality. The memorial garden now includes a monument, bench, memorial tiles, flags and the canon, which was given to Merrill Mayor D.B. Reinhart by Congressman A.P. Nelson in 1920.

Many local groups such as the VFW, American Legion, AmVets, Disabled American Veterans and the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club provided volunteer labor to help construct the memorial.

A special feature of the memorial is tiles that are engraved with local veteran's names, years of service and branch of the military. About 680 of the tiles have already been purchased, with about 300 still available at $50 each. Veterans both living and deceased can be memorialized with a tile. Fischer said any tiles purchased over the winter will be installed in the spring.

Columbariums are available for the cremated remains of veterans.

The veterans memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day 2012, and will from now on serve as the site for Merrill's annual Memorial Day celebration.

Fischer said the memorial continues to be a work in progress. Over the summer, the driveway into the memorial from Thielman Street was blacktopped. Current plans are to install lighting and electrical power to the memorial.

"We'd like to get lighting in to light it up at night," Fischer said.

Fischer himself is surprised at how the memorial has developed from its humble beginning.

"I have to thank the community for all they've done to help us get as far as we have," he said. "I never thought it would get this big. I can't complain for starting out with nothing."

To purchase tiles or to make donations toward the memorial, contact Leroy Fisher at Leroy's Hair Care Center, 724 E. 2nd St., Merrill, 715-536-2345. All donations should be made payable to St. Francis Xavier Cemetery Veterans Memorial.