Woman helps change Illinois state law to help repair damaged veteran headstones
Years ago, Staci Boyer, commander of the Judd Kendall VFW Post in Naperville, noticed many of the gravestones of veterans buried at Naperville Cemetery had become badly weathered and worn out, in some cases, left little more than a pile of rocks.
She wanted to have them repaired, but ran into a roadblock. State law required permission from a family member, but the damaged headstones were so old, tracking down relatives was difficult.
With the help of state lawmakers, she helped change Illinois law to give veterans' organizations the authority to repair headstones that are at least 100 years old.
"Before the law, we wouldn't have been able to do anything. We would've tried to find next of kin. We would not have found them, and then the graves would've stayed a pile of rock and debris," Boyer said.
Since last summer, Boyer has raised enough money to replace five veteran headstones at Naperville Cemetery. She said all new headstones will be in place by the 4th of July.
"I'm proud of our community, you know, for feeling like this is important. People that don't know these veterans but believe that they should be honored this way. That's a beautiful thing," she said.
Boyer had bricks engraved at Naperville Cemetery to honor all veterans with damaged headstones.
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