FRANKLIN FURNACE, Ohio — Eighty-year-old Harold Carmichael is a man of few words, but his actions speak volumes.
The lifelong Wheelersburg resident has dedicated his summer to refurbishing some of the statues in Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery in the town of Franklin Furnace.
“The guys work hard here to keep it up. And mowing the grass in the borough and everything keeps them pretty busy, so I wanted to take this on and beautify these statues a little bit,” said Carmichael.
Carmichael said many relatives and friends are buried in the cemetery including his parents.
He hasn’t taken any money for the projects and has used his own paint and dedicated dozens of hours to each statue.
His favorite work is this statue depicting Jesus with outstretched arms.
“It just needed a lot of detail. So I made this thumb and done the best I can do here with filling out these two fingers. It’s a statue of our Lord and Savior and he ought to be kept up nice and neat,” said Carmichael.
Carmichael isn’t seeking out any recognition but he’s hoping to raise some money for paint and supplies to keep him going into the fall.
He said the Last Supper statue will be his next big challenge and he thinks it will take 100 hours to complete.
Carmichael has this parting advice for younger generations looking to make a difference in the community.
“(A) Lot of monuments and everything been knocked down and pulled over. We need to take care of these, keep them looking good,” said Carmichael.
