Headstones get some TLC

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Published on Friday, September 15, 2017

Kate Jackman-Atkinson
The Neepawa Banner

It’s been a busy summer for headstone refurbisher Toby Dagg, but among his paid projects has been some volunteer work. Last month, Dagg donated some time to clean and straighten military head stones at the Riverside Cemetery in Neepawa.

Unlike in previous years, this summer, the veterans’ graves at the north end of the cemetery weren’t adorned with flowers. “They might not have flowers, but at least they can be clean,” said Dagg of the project. Dagg had been at the Neepawa cemetery finishing a job for a customer, when he decided to give back and clean the military stones as well, “I had all my equipment.” He removed the moss from the stones and cleaned them up, saying, “They need more respect.” In total, Dagg cleaned about 18 stones. Unfortunately, without grass or crushed rock at the base, the stones were covered by mud splashing up from the uncovered dirt during the first post-cleaning rain.

In addition to his work in Neepawa, Dagg has also been kept busy around the region.  This year, in addition smaller projects, he’s cleaned 33 stones in Gladstone, as well as the memorial statue located on the main street in MacGregor and the cenotaph in Basswood. While a headstone may take 45 minutes to an hour to clean, larger projects can take six or more hours to complete. “I like to clean around my work, like the edging… [I like to] make it look like an angel dropped the monument there,” he said.

Submitted Photos
Before the headstone was cleaned.

After the headstone was cleaned