Greenbrier Memorial Gardens once again lost a precious part of its cemetery with the latest theft of the hands from an intricately carved Italian marble statue of Jesus Christ.
Emphasizing his commitment to repairing the damage a second time, Wes Sheridan said, “Think about what He did for us.”
Sheridan noted this sentiment reflects that of his wife, Susan, and her parents, Art and Phyllis Baker, owners of Greenbrier Memorial Gardens.
The hands recently stolen had been replacements for a pair taken several years ago.
“We are once again asking for your help with a current investigation,” states a social media post made by the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office. “Some time through the weekend of June 25, 2021, an individual or individuals committed an act of destruction on a statue… The damage to this statue is estimated to be over $6,000 dollars.”
“Those hands are someplace. It hurts your heart,” Sheridan said of the weekend incident.
It took a number of years to actually reinstall the missing statuary pieces. Resources of hand-carved marble icons are difficult to find, especially those that can shape the meticulously detailed hands of a Deity like Jesus. Once a carver was found in Italy, it took time to create new hands, then ship the product to West Virginia.
Once the parts were finally in the Bakers’ possession they were hesitant to have them installed, explained Sheridan.
In the meantime, several other cemetery improvement projects went forward. In an attempt to make it more difficult to cause further damage to the sculpture, a stone wall surround with a raised bed was removed and decorative gravel was laid down in the form of a teardrop. The idea was to increase the distance from the ground to the statuary.
Art Baker took to remodeling several aspects of the cemetery’s infrastructure. The office was made-over including fresh paint, a new roof and carpeting.
He invested $20,000 back into the mausoleum he had built from marble and granite. It also has a new roof and carpeting. New lighting fixtures are next on the agenda, followed by a road repaving project.
Also in the works, is a new place for families to honor lost loved ones. The Garden of the Archangel Michael is expected to be complete in 2022. This area is dedicated to Wes and Susan Sheridan’s 25-year-old son, Michael, who died unexpectedly in 2019.
Caring for the monuments and plots, performing general maintenance and mowing the grass are ongoing tasks at the cemetery.
Wes Sheridan, a longtime stoneworker, has also been busy cleaning and restoring all three of the life-sized statues dotting Greenbrier Memorial Gardens. The white and gray-veined Jesus at Gethsemane gleams in the sun after Sheridan scrubbed the precious material with a cleaning agent and a marble-safe abrasive.
It will most likely require a toothbrush to clean between the folds in the robe and sleeves on Jesus standing tall into the sky and the rosary beads of the Blessed Mother. All three icons will have a protective sealant applied.
On the morning of Wednesday, June 30, Sheridan once again cared for the Jesus sculpture raised atop a rolling hill. Less than a week had passed since he had made the statue whole from the damage inflicted several years ago.
Upon the family’s decision to finally replace the hands, Sheridan used pins and epoxy on Thursday, June 24, to “stone-wield” the arms to the new hands. He then wrapped the hands, arms and circumference of the body with blue tape and left it to bond. By Friday morning, someone had removed the tape.
The bonding epoxy had cured so no harm was done, however, Sheridan did note it was an “odd” thing for someone to have done. Sometime after that, the hands were stolen.
Security methods have become a priority. Among the measures will be dusk til dawn signage, increased police surveillance, and Sheridan warned that a number of volunteers inquired about hiding in the woods in order to surprise would-be thieves.
These steps are to “protect the integrity of the place where people come to mourn their loved ones,” Sheridan stated. “It’s typically a peaceful place.”
And the Bakers and Sheridans plan to keep it that way.
A $1,000 reward is being offered by cemetery caretakers to be matched by Allen and Tammy O’Brien, owners of Greenbrier Excavating & Paving, for a total of $2,000 to encourage information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the crime.
Sheridan described the O’Briens as “super nice people.”
The Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office continues to seek information.
“If you know the individual or individuals involved in the destruction of the statue… and feel inclined to do so, please contact Sgt. Steve Hudnall at the Lewisburg Detachment of the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Department at 304-647-6634 or by contacting the Greenbrier County 911 Center at 304-647-7911 (24 hours)” notes the GCSD post.
“Information can also be sent to Crime Stoppers of West Virginia or by private message through [the department’s] Facebook page. Thank you in advance for any help you can give in this matter.”
No matter a person’s religious beliefs, you can’t find a more perfect philosophy than the teachings of Jesus Christ. Desecrating a sacred monument of any kind is wrong on so many levels, especially sculptures placed to provide comfort to those grieving loved ones.
It is not only illegal and immoral, but as Sheridan put it, “It’s heartbreaking.”
