Young man dedicates time to cleaning veteran’s graves, monuments

(VEVAY, Ind.) – A Switzerland County native is using his time and talents to restore dignity to veterans at their resting place. 

26-year-old Elliott S. Moore has made it his mission to clean grave markers, headstones and monuments that are badly in need of attention. 

Moore cleans some graves just because he simply finds them while walking through a cemetery. Other times it’s because someone has reached out and requested his services.

“There’s sometimes we come across a marker that is black and you can’t even read the name. I immediately either clean it or make a note to come back,” he said. 

He gets down on his hands and knees to scrub while using a specialized product that is also used at Arlington National Cemetery. 

This passion began as a hobby and stems from his involvement with the Vevay American Legion as well as his current full-time job working as a funeral director. 

The 2018 Switzerland County grad now lives in Frankfort, Kentucky, and has traveled back to Southeast Indiana six times just this past week to clean more than 40 monuments. 

“I believe that taking care of those markers, especially for those who have nobody else to take care of them, is very important and is the appropriate way to honor them,” Moore told The 812. 

He has now launched a business called Moore’s Monument Services but isn’t looking to get rich off of this. 

“Honestly, right now, the money I charge folks just covers my gas, the product I use, and a little bit of labor,” he said. 

For now, this remains mostly a volunteer-based service that is covering a large area. 

Moore visits cemeteries in Switzerland, Ohio, Dearborn, Ripley and Jefferson counties while also providing the same service in Northern and Central Kentucky. 

He encourages people to reach out if they know of graves or monuments that need to be cleaned up.

You can follow Moore’s Monument Services by clicking here and you are welcome to send a message.