Eye on Keloland: “Service in Sawdust” July 4, 2021
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SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO) — Local volunteers, who build coffins and urns for South Dakota veterans and their spouses, expect to be even busier now that the state veterans cemetery in Sioux Falls is open. The group called “Veterans Honored Interment” has workshops in both Sioux Falls and Hot Springs. The organization has grown in its outreach of providing a final tribute.
Local veterans, from all branches of the military, join forces in a woodworking project that builds upon their already strong bonds.
The volunteers build oak plywood caskets for their fellow veterans through the non-profit Veterans Honored Interment. Darla Larsen had to quit her job to care for her ailing husband for ten years. She was grateful to pay a donation for a wooden coffin when he died in 2015.
“The volunteers might start at 8:30 and stop building at noon. And we’ve built enough where we have an inventory where we can take a break for a little while,” Van Noort said.
The program had humble beginnings from the start. Volunteers had to bring their own tools to build the caskets and urns. Now, they use donated equipment. Their cramped quarters located in the old VFW building has been replaced by a spacious donated workshop.
“My brother is in the national cemetery by Sturgis, and I would probably like to be in this new one out here and actually, I’d like to build my own urn,” Campbell said.
Organizers are hoping other states borrow their blueprint so this building project can go nationwide. Their craftsmanship is an eternal tribute from one veteran to another.
“It’s actually an honor and a privilege to be able to build a burial vessel for other veterans that passed before us,” Campbell said.
Volunteers through the years have built nearly one-thousand coffins in Sioux Falls and Hot Springs, plus 300 urns.
If you’d like to order a coffin, or want to volunteer, or donate to the program, click on Order or Donate button on the top of the page.
