A deteriorating veterans memorial at Dublin Cemetery looks new again after the Muirfield Village Garden Club completed a restoration project funded in part by the Dublin Community Foundation.
The Blue Star Memorial, dedicated in 2015 by the garden club along with the City of Dublin, Dublin American Legion Post 800 and the former Dublin VFW Post 10691, honors all members of the U.S. Armed Forces past and present. The marker had weathered over the past decade, prompting the club to seek grant funding for professional restoration work.
The Dublin Community Foundation awarded a grant to the garden club for the project, which brought certified Blue Star Memorial restoration specialist Tom Stelling from Daytona Beach, Florida, to Dublin to complete the work. Stelling, a Navy veteran and owner of Historical Markers Restorations, has restored close to 500 Blue Star markers across the country, according to the Ocala Gazette.
"The support from the Dublin Community Foundation enabled us to hire a qualified expert and ensure this important memorial received the attention it deserved," said Mary Jo Fresch, speaking for the Muirfield Village Garden Club. "The Blue Star Memorial is a meaningful tribute to our military service members and an important stop on Dublin's historic cemetery tours."
The club also shared Stelling's travel costs with another garden club undertaking a similar restoration, stretching the grant further.
The Blue Star Memorial program dates to 1945, when the National Council of State Garden Clubs began placing markers as a tribute to armed forces members. The blue star symbol originated on service flags families displayed in their windows for every member serving in the military during World War II. Today nearly 4,000 Blue and Gold Star Memorials stand across the United States, and the National Garden Clubs has made their preservation a priority ahead of America's 250th anniversary in 2026.
Dublin's memorial sits inside the 19th-century Dublin Cemetery, a landscaped park-style burial ground that is part of the Historic Dublin walking tour circuit. Every Memorial Day, American Legion Post 800 leads a procession to the cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony. The restored marker now stands as a focal point of that annual military tribute.
The Muirfield Village Garden Club continues to maintain the flower gardens surrounding the memorial year-round. It is open to visitors any day.
Coming up on Dublin's community calendar:
- Midweek Music, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 6–8 p.m., Riverside Crossing Park, 6625 Riverside Dr.
