By Judy Seifert (Contact / Staff Bio)
July 19, 2008 - 12:00 a.m. EST

MAYVILLE - Residents want to honor the area’s veterans and the best way to do that is to place a memorial in the cemetery ­ a cemetery that is divided by an invisible line.

Members of American Legion Post #181 in Mayville and Veterans of Foreign Wars have been raising money for the memorial for quite some time. And progress is being made.

"We have the foundation in place, now we’re waiting for the stone," said Lyle Fryers, one of the organizers of the project. "This memorial will be for all service people from all wars."

The cemetery, Fremont Township Cemetery, is divided. Half sits in the township, the remaining half in the village of Mayville. The Mayville section has a memorial in place. Fryers said they now want to place one in the Fremont section.

Fryers said the red granite stone for the memorial has been ordered. But he doesn’t expect to see it in place for several months.

"It’s huge. Five feet high, six feet wide and eight feet thick. But it’s going to be really, really nice once we get it in place," he added.

Fryers estimated the cost at somewhere around $10,000-$12,000. About $5,000 has been collected so far from numerous donations by groups and individuals. He said another $5-6,000 still needs to be raised.

Anyone wishing to contribute should call Fryers at (989) 843-6408.