Volunteers place flags on veteran graves
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Eight year old Bryn Griffiths and nine year old Kale Griffiths help to put flags on veteran's graves.
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Veteran Jackie Spence places flags on veteran's graves at the Grandview Cemetery.
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Edwina Owens places framed photos and handmade wreaths for her family at Grandview Cemetery.
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN The cemetery was covered in red, white, and blue.
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Volunteers turned out to decorate the graves of veterans.
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Memorial Day was a day for everyone to remember loved ones that they had lost, like the wreaths made by Edwina Owens for her family.
BONNERS FERRY — On Friday, May 25, people gathered at the Grandview Cemetery to volunteer their time adorning the graves of veterans with American Flags provided by the American Legion Post 55.
“It’s going pretty good,” said Raymond Harris of the American Legion. “We get a lot of volunteers that just show up to help. The word is out and people come up to honor the veterans. We have members from the Legion here and the VFW. The Boy Scouts are working on the other side because that is the hard side and they are young.”
Eight year Bryn Griffiths was one of the volunteers, helping alongside her nine year old brother, Kale Griffiths.
“I am putting down flags for people because they passed away while they were in the military,” explained Bryn.
Not everyone was there just for fallen veterans. Bonners Ferry Firefighter Alan Hamilton was out on a four wheeler.
“I am setting out flags for the firefighters that have been part of the Bonners Ferry Fire Department in the past and passed away,” said Hamilton.
Edwina Owens was out with a cart full of handmade wreaths, bouquets, and framed photos. She, with the help of her friend, were there to honor many members of her family.
“This year is really hard for me because of the loss of my daughter, on top of everybody else. After we lost her, we lost my mother, so it has been a very trying year, but I know that they are all at peace,” said Owens. “They are in God’s hands and in my heart, so I hold on to that.”
Owens made the wreaths and decorations herself. “It’s a labor of love,” she said.
It was a bright, sunny day, with a breeze enticing the many flags into a dance. A sense of peace permeated the area, and the people and family members that chose to spend the day honoring those who had passed.