Effort underway to give cemetery angel a 'facelift'

For decades, an angel has stood silent watch over the veterans buried in the City of Libby Cemetery. Now members of a local veterans group want to see her restored in time for her centennial.

Terry Pitcher, secretary and treasurer of American Legion Auxiliary No. 97, unveiled the ambitious project before the Libby City Council this week. While the auxiliary has plans for fundraisers, members hoped city councilors would lend a hand with the estimated $6,000 price tag.

“She looks over the graves of our lost veterans as well as many souls that we miss,” Pitcher told city councilors Aug. 2.

Erected in 1922 to commemorate the region’s World War I war dead, the statue once graced the corner of Lincoln Boulevard and Mineral Avenue, Pitcher said. On Memorial Day each year, local veterans organizations marched down the thoroughfare to commemorate the occasion under her gaze.

On Veterans Day 1969, vandals struck in what The Western News described as “a vicious attack.”

“The statue’s head and arms were broken off, and two metal plaques were torn from the base of the statue,” reads the caption of a black and white photograph of the dismembered figure. The defacement came during a wave of vandalism in Libby, according to news articles published at the time.

The figure, described in 1969 as the “unnamed angel,” was relocated after suffering the damage. Today, the white statue still serves as a centerpiece to the annual Memorial and Veterans Day ceremonies, often flanked by an honor guard and adorned with wreaths on the holidays — just in the city’s cemetery.

But time has not been kind to the monument, leaving it significantly weathered. Pitcher said talk of refurbishment began in April. The group hopes to have the statue repaired — getting a “facelift” was how Pitcher described it to city councilors — over the winter months.

That would see her looking brand new in time for her 100th anniversary in Libby, Pitcher said. She said the group already had contacted Idaho Granite Works, the same company that refurbished the present-day statue on Mineral Avenue just a few years ago. They provided the initial estimate.

“We are ready, willing and able to move forward with this project, but we know we need help,” Pitcher said, telling city councilors that the group had raised $500 thus far.

Although supportive of the project, city councilors shied away from making an immediate financial commitment — at least until they determined whether or not they could back the effort. City Clerk and Treasurer Samuel Sikes was unsure if tax dollars could go toward such a project, especially since it may be seen as a religious monument.

Officials planned to check and see if public dollars had gone toward the refurbishment of the existing war memorial statue on Mineral Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard. City Councilor Rob Dufficy made the motion to table the question until the issue was further studied. City Councilor Kristin Smith offered a second.

Kenny Rayome Jr., one of the few members of public in attendance during the Aug. 2 meeting, offered support on behalf of the Libby Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1548. He also suggested city officials consider what in-kind donations they could offer the effort.

“We fully support this,” he said. “Whatever you end up doing, we will help. That’s awesome.”

After the meeting, Pitcher said residents interested in giving toward the cause could mail a check to her at 1840 Elk Road, Libby, MT 59923. Checks should be made out to the American Legion Auxiliary #97 with a note indicating the donation is for the “restructure of the cemetery angel.”

“We just are looking forward to reestablishing why she is there, looking over our veterans,” Pitcher said.