When Juanita Southers and Linda Dalton started Wreaths Across America in Lawrence County in 2012, their goal was to eventually be able place a wreath on every grave in the veterans section of Woodland Cemetery in Ironton.

Their efforts grew each year and, a few months after Southers’ death in 2019, it was accomplished for the first time.
And this past weekend, it was repeated again.

Now under the direction of Laura Brown and Sally Inglis, the local Wreaths effort not only covered the graves in the veterans plot, but also many of those in the cemetery’s Civil War section.

Altogether, they were able to cover more than 1,000 graves at Woodland this year..

This year’s ceremony drew nearly 200 people to Woodland and shows that the work Southers and Dalton started is going strong under Brown and Inglis and their team of volunteers.

It is a fitting tribute to both those from our region who served their country and Southers and all who make this possible each year should be congratulated.