RAVENNA, Ohio — Veteran's Day is not defined by a single day on Chris Untrauer's calendar.
The organizer behind the Veteran's Grave Marker Project, with the help of her team of researchers, has now identified and marked 53 previously unmarked veteran graves at Maple Grove Cemetery in Portage County. She told News 5 she has also identified another 110 previously unmarked veterans' graves that need to have markers put in.
The latest additions include Frank and Martha Graeser, World War II veterans who met while serving in the Army. Their granddaughter, Mindy Leonard, had been bothered by their unmarked graves for years.
"I didn't know where their gravesites were anymore," Leonard said. "They need plaques - they need this because they were good people."
News 5 was there as Leonard saw the new grave markers for the first time. Leonard recalled how her grandfather lived with her family when she was a kid, before he died in 1992.
"That was a little emotional – seeing it," Leonard said. "Everyone deserves a marker."
Untrauer's dedication to the project stems from what she describes as a calling to honor forgotten veterans. She systematically researches cemetery records to identify unmarked graves of those who served.
"That's how we're finding them – by looking at lists after we know everyone at the cemetery has been logged in," Untrauer said.
The project holds deep meaning for families like Marilyn Wanacheck, who saw her father James Coe's new military marker for the first time. Coe served in the U.S. Navy.
"I think Dad would be very humbled with this going on," Wanacheck said. "I'm very humbled with this going on. It makes his death final."
Part of the push behind Untrauer's endeavors is a federal law from 2007, which only allows the Department of Veterans Affairs to furnish a government headstone or marker for those buried in private cemeteries who died on or after Nov. 1, 1990, regardless of whether the grave is already marked with a privately purchased headstone or marker.
Those graves older than 1990, she said, are being left behind.
"They're not entitled to it by federal law," Untrauer explained. "That's the hard part. We have over 100 that will not get a marker until they change the law. We need to get that changed. I want this to come from the state of Ohio that we are pushing to get this taken care of. No one will die before 1990 ever again. So we take care of them and we're done and we can continue on with the ones we're working on now."
For Untrauer, each marker represents more than recognition; it's about ensuring these veterans are never forgotten.
"By marking their grave, when a person walks by, they know that the soldier served this country and that they would die for us and they're the reason we're here now," Untrauer said.
The project has grown significantly since April, when News 5 first reported on Untrauer's efforts. At that time, she had identified 49 unmarked veteran graves but was still working on installing grave markers. The markers cost approximately $100 each and are funded through community fundraising efforts.
Watch the original story here:
RELATED: Ravenna woman on a mission to mark the unmarked graves of veterans
Untrauer envisions expanding the Veterans Grave Marker Project beyond Ravenna's Maple Grove Cemetery to other locations across Northeast Ohio and potentially nationwide.
"What we get out of it is knowing they'll never be forgotten," Untrauer said.
To learn more about the project, CLICK HERE.
RELATED: Watch our 'Your Service Veterans Day' Special
