BLOOMDALE — The Veterans Memorial has been lovingly restored by the family largely responsible for its installation.

The memorial was damaged in the winter storm on Dec. 23 with wind gusts up to 60 mph and bitter cold.

Lester Kirian has just finishing repairs on the sign and it was re-hung on Thursday in preparation for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

The Village of Bloomdale purchased the replacement sign board which is a replica of the original sign.

Kirian is an Air Force veteran, having served in Guam in Vietnam, and his name is included on the memorial.

The Veterans Memorial was erected in 2017 and was dedicated on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2017 with a parade and ceremony honoring all local veterans.

The memorial was paid for by donations gathered by Kathy Kirian, Lester’s wife. She designed the layout of the memorial which is a pentagon shaped concrete pad with an American flag pole. Each branch of the military flag on flag poles is represented as well around the exterior edge of the memorial.

There are two benches, and landscaping designed by Kathy as well. She designed the layout of the sign and collected names of veterans local to Bloomdale.

Lester and Kathy brought the memorial and built it on the former site of the old Bloomdale school.

Kathy lost a 10-month battle to cancer less than two weeks before the sign was damaged.

(Submitted by Cory Kirian, the Kirians’ son.)