Dubuque cemetery caretaker restores buried gravestones at Rockdale Cemetery

John Riedl, the caretaker at Rockdale Cemetery in Dubuque, is unearthing and restoring gravestones, KCRG reports. His work at the cemetery began about three years ago when he started mowing the cemetery's lawn. "As I was cutting grass, you'd look at the people's, the stones and that, and then you'd say, hey, this one's been laying down, for how long? I don't know, I just got interested," Riedl said. After attending a few classes and watching YouTube videos, he now restores stones to the point where it is hard to see where the breaks were. "You know, I think there was a crack down... Let's see. You can't hardly even tell now. It was about across here," he said. Riedl said the stones represent people who deserve to be remembered. He worked in a factory for 40 years, including at John Deere and tool and die shops, and took up the work after retiring. "You just feel good doing it, you know? I don't know. I don't look for praise or nothing. It's just, I enjoy being out here," he said. The work costs at least $100 per stone. Donations to support the Rockdale Cemetery Preservation and Restoration Project can be mailed to 4220 Tanzanite Ct., Dubuque, IA 52001. More information is available on the project's Facebook page.