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Thursday, February 6, 2025

Naperville dedicated another place to honor veterans

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While 2,012 American flags continued to wave during the week-long Field of Honor over at Rotary Hill, members of the Naperville Cemetery Association  were set for the dedication of its  Veterans Memorial. The new memorial is another place to show patriotism every day in Naperville, joining  local Freedom Shrines, commemorative messages along the Riverwalk as well as tributes in Veterans Park, Burlington Square Park, Central Park, Fredenhagen Park and the Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873.

Click any photo to enlarge the gallery.

As individuals, couples and families arrived at the cemetery established in 1843, they were greeted by Naperville Cemetery Board President Cie Grosskopf and other associates with strong connections to the memorial plaza featuring brick pavers, five monoliths, four granite benches and a flag pole.  Grosshopf explained that each monolith, draped in a black cover,  had been individually engraved with the symbol of one of the five branches of the armed services—Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard.

Jack Shiffler, a Marine veteran  who also serves on the Naperville Cemetery Board, welcomed the gathering that lined three sides of the 40-ft. square plaza when the ceremony began promptly at 9:30AM.

After introductions of the Naperville Cemetery Association Board of Directors that included a brief history of the design and progress, Mike Feinberg, designer and operations manager for Troost Monument Company in Hillside, was recognized for his design contributions to the memorial.

Then the American flag and the POW-MIA flag were raised. And one by one, the jet-black granite monoliths were unveiled.

Cliff Preston, past president of the Naperville Cemetery Association, assisted with the presentation of the U.S. Navy monolith. His commemorative brick recognizes his service in the  Navy Seabees from 1944-1946.

According to  Grosskopf,  the memorial was funded with donations from the American Legion Post 43, Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873, the Exchange Club of Naperville, the Masonic Lodge, the Grosskopf family and other individuals in the community.

Three of the four granite benches at the site already were marked with commemorative plaques. Red commemorative bricks with names of veterans had been placed around the monolith that corresponded with the branch of service in which they had served.

Though the project originally had been imagined more than a year ago, Grosskopf said the design phase took about six months and the recent installation of the memorial took less than three weeks.

“This is a community project that’s open to everyone,” Grosskopf said, noting the bricks are available to honor the living as well as for veterans who have died.  “We have one commemorative bench left. It’s $1,000,” she added.

By the end of the ceremony, someone had spoken up to fund the fourth bench.

Commemorative bricks to honor veterans are available for $200 each.  For information or to purchase a brick, call the cemetery at (630) 355-1057.

The Veterans Memorial in the Naperville Cemetery is accessible via a long driveway from 705 S. Washington St.

RELATED POSTS: Memorial Day Thoughts / Other Naperville Places to Pay Tribute

 

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PN Editor
PN Editor
An editor is someone who prepares content for publishing. It entered English, the American Language, via French. Its modern sense for newspapers has been around since about 1800.
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