John Walters of Columbia, IN, has made it his mission to put busted tombstones and statues back together again for the past 19 years. He’s known as The Graveyard Groomer.

Among his many projects, he’s currently working on a statue of Private John Shaw, who died in action in the Philippines in 1900. The statue was broken in 12-15 pieces by vandals. Walters is piecing it back together, and filling in the gaps where parts of the statue are completely missing.

“It makes me feel like a stone surgeon. Putting a fella together like this,” Walters observed. “As I sit here to work on this stone, how many people shed tears here? Said prayers here, gathered here and then moved on? I won’t be completely satisfied until I get him standing back over his respective spot.”

Word is getting out about the work he’s doing. When Private Shaw’s statue is finished and the weather improves, Walters has been asked to help with restoring some stonework at the Muncie courthouse. And headstones are always coming in that need repaired.

Fortunately it’s something Walters enjoys doing. He’s been told in the past that nothing can be done to fix certain pieces, but he finds reward in trying his best. He loves the challenge of the work and feels that the headstones and statues are worth saving.

“If I didn’t have to make a living at it, I would do it absolutely for nothing. I really would,” exclaimed Walters.

Source: WTHR