New lights brighten up Silver Valley cemeteries

KELLOGG –– Cemeteries may not be the most hopeful of places, but at Kellogg’s Greenwood Cemetery and Shoshone Memorial Gardens in Pinehurst, the new lighted crosses have provided some much-needed light in the darkness, both literally and figuratively.  

Both crosses have been replaced in recent years, with Shoshone Memorial Gardens completing its replacement in 2023 and Greenwood lighting its new cross more recently, on December 6. These projects were the continuation of efforts started over 50 years ago by the local Jaycee Club.  

Gary Temby, with the Kellogg Jaycees, recently met with Kellogg city officials and Shoshone Funeral Services owner Mark Owsley to present both entities with checks to help cover the costs associated with the replacement projects. 

During the meeting, Temby explained how, following the founding of the Kellogg Jaycees and Jayceettes in the 1960s, erecting and maintaining lighted crosses at the two cemeteries were among the group’s biggest and most impactful projects. Under the guidance of the late JoAnn Ross, the group established the Kellogg Memorial Cross Fund in the 1970s, gathering funds through donations and memorials to purchase, maintain, and repair the lights.  

Both former structures outlasted their projected lifespans, despite being made up of simple wood and fluorescent lights, they endured and were a calming addition to the hillsides of their respective cemeteries.  

According to Kellogg City Superintendent Mike Fitzgerald, the old crosses were twisted and rotting beyond repair, so he began planning for a new one.  

“It was a group effort,” Fitzgerald said. “A lot of people stepped up to help get it done and the new cross looks wonderful.”  

Community members like electrician Gordon Milholland donated the electrical work necessary to power the cross, while Avista Utilities donated and set the pole the new cross is affixed.  

The new cross stands at roughly 20 feet tall and can be seen from almost everywhere in Kellogg, thanks largely to new state-of-the-art snap-in style LED light panels.  

“It’s probably going to be up there for at least the next 30 years without us having to do much maintenance on it,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s really quite something.”  

Shoshone Memorial Gardens is owned and managed by Shoshone Funeral Services and when Owsley purchased the business in 2022, he knew immediately that the cross needed to be replaced. Originally, he planned on simply installing a new white cross and then illuminating it with a fixed light on the ground, but he changed his mind after realizing how beloved the old lighted cross was to the community that surrounds the hillside cemetery.  

The Shoshone Memorial Gardens Cemetery cross replacement was completed in the spring of 2023. 

The Kellogg Memorial Cross Fund has continued to receive donations over the years, but not nearly as much or as frequently as it once did. Despite this, Temby and the Jaycees wanted to keep good on the projects they started over 50 years ago, so they decided to split the remaining funds between the two entities to help recoup some costs of their respective projects or help with future maintenance.  

“It was the mid-1960s when a bunch of us young people got together and started the group – or at least we were young then,” Temby said. “And we decided that this was something we wanted to do for our community.”  

    Shoshone Funeral Services owner Mark Owsley (left) and Kellogg Mayor Rod Plank (right) each received a check from the Kellogg Jaycees for their respective new lighted crosses at Shoshone Memorial Gardens and Greenwood Cemetery. Gary Temby (center) was a part of the Jaycees when they built and maintained the original crosses over 50 years ago. 

    Crews from Avista Utilities set the pole with the new cross at Greenwood Cemetery late last year.