Andrew Lumish initially went to an old cemetery to pursue his passion of photography, but it’s led him to a new mission. Lumish recently appeared on “The Glenn Beck Program” to discuss his mission to clean and restore gravestones of veterans at a cemetery in Tampa, Florida.
After seeing how deteriorated the gravestones of veterans, some who had even served in the Civil War, Lumish described how “immediately it kind of infuriated me. I was really upset by it.” He began researching how to properly restore these gravestones.
As Lumish explained to Beck, he’s not merely cleaning these markers, but telling their story, despite initial hesitation. Lumish’s followers over social media can see gravestones, once barely readable, to looking like new, along with the story of the soldier who is buried there.
Lumish has been recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs and by Florida Gov. Rick Scott. To Beck’s pleasant surprise, he’s not only been recognized but on pushback, Lumish says there is “none whatsoever.”
The recognition has not only been from officials, but from the family members of the veterans it gives a sense of peace too. NBC News, which also profiled Lumish, mentioned World War II veteran Joe Lazzara, whose family learned of Lumish’s efforts and reached out to him.
Lazzara’s brother, Sam, 90, “was particularly touched.” Sam says his “flesh and blood” is there, with his other family members buried there as well. Sam is unable to get to the cemetery so easily, but of Lumish’s work, he says “God brought him down to us.”
Lumish has been cleaning tombs for over two and a half years now, and does so on his one day off, Sunday, with some projects taking twenty minutes, others three hours, Task & Purpose mentioned. He even spends hours in the hot Florida sun to do so over the summer.
For those who wish to engage in similar efforts, Lumish recommends D/2 Biological Solution. Lumish has teamed up with them to provide a discount, with a portion of the proceeds going towards The Good Cemeterian.
There is also a link on the Facebook page to a Go Fund Me page set up by The Good Cemeterian, which is an official tax exempt non-profit organization, and has been since March 2017. The page says they “hope to someday assist veteran organizations on a national level.”