Libby community restores angel statue
Austin Reedy Post 97 American Legion Auxiliary member Sandy Dempewolf places a wreath at the Angel statue in Libby Cemetery on Sunday, May 28. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
Austin Reedy Post 97 American Legion Auxiliary member Adrene Adams places an American Gold Star wreath at the Angel statue in Libby Cemetery on Sunday, May 28. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
American flags and red, white and blue flags adorn gravesites of U.S. veterans at the Libby Cemetery on Sunday, May 28. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
A successful fundraising campaign in the Libby community has restored the unnamed angel to its past glory as it keeps watch over area veterans who have served their country in the Armed Forces.
The statue was restored in 2022 for its centennial celebration. Members of the American Legion Auxiliary No. 97, led by Terry Pitcher, worked in concert with other groups including the Libby Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1548, to restore the angel.
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 figure. The defacement came during a wave of vandalism in Libby, according to news articles published at the time.
The figure was relocated after suffering the damage. Today, it 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 had taken a toll on the monument before it was restored.
Libby Mayor Peggy Williams re-read the proclamation that was prepared for last year's 100th anniversary.
American Legion Auxiliary No. 97 members Sandy Dempewolf placed a wreath on the angel statue as did Adrene Adams for the Gold Star Families in Libby Cemetery on Sunday, May 28.
