Union and West End Cemetery

Yes, there are a number of angels in the Union & West End Cemetery, but the particular angel that is the subject of this post is, or was, headless.

Hard to believe, but back in 1998 the cemetery was abandoned. The grass and weeds were higher than many stones. Vandalism was a serious problem. Someone had climbed up on the above monument and managed to decapitate the angel. As you can see, this was and is a beautiful angel, carrying a child or young adult to heaven.

Who would do such a thing? What mindless idiot would take pleasure in defacing beautiful monuments in a cemetery?

The head lay on the ground among the overgrown grass and weeds. How long the head lay there is not known. But one day, while out on a stroll in the cemetery, Mark Kintzel, who does not live too far away, noticed the angel head lying in the weeds. He picked it up and took it home for safe keeping. The angel head resided with Mark until the year 2007, almost a decade. Then Mark contacted the cemetery President, Chuck Canning and indicated he had the head and would like to return it to its appropriate place in the cemetery.

The cemetery association was once again in possession of the angel head. On September 16, 2007, Chuck Canning, President and Everette Carr, Vice President, were in the cemetery along with Gene Litgeb, who owns a backhoe. With Chuck precariously positioned in the bucket of the backhoe, it was raised to a position that would allow Chuck to glue the head back on the shoulders of the angel.

A short time later, the angel with head restored (see rope securing it temporarily), was once again a beautiful and magnificent monument gracing the cemetery grounds.