MILWAUKEE — A 10-year-old Milwaukee boy has taken on an unusual but meaningful hobby – cleaning and restoring the gravestones of veterans and others who have passed away.
Lucas Nguyen discovered his passion for gravestone cleaning two years ago when he spotted a dirty gravestone in a cemetery and felt compelled to clean it.
"I think seeing what it looked like before and then what it was after, I think seeing that is pretty amazing," Lucas said.
Since then, Lucas has cleaned 12 gravestones, including one belonging to a Spanish-American War veteran from 1898 located on Milwaukee's south side.
Lucas and his family take the work seriously. They've attended multiple gravestone cleaning classes, including one at Forest Home Cemetery, to ensure they're using proper techniques that won't damage the stones.
"We showed up. We were the only ones there that day beside the teacher," said Kara Nguyen, Lucas's mother.
The family travels up to 90 minutes to clean gravesites. Lucas handles the cleaning work himself, offering the service completely free of charge.
"It says a lot about his character. It says that he truly cares," said Tommy Nguyen, Lucas's father.
I found out about Lucas because I put out a request on Reddit asking for story ideas. His mom reached out to me.
Watch Lucas' story to see how he cleans gravestones...
"He's a super great kid. Everything he does, he goes all in for," Kara said.
Lucas hopes his work will inspire others to join in preserving these memorials and honoring those who have passed.
"Maybe also start to clean gravestones, and they'll learn the process, and then we'll help restore more cemeteries," Lucas said.
Those interested in Lucas's work can find him on Facebook by searching Lucas' Grave Cleaning.
This story was reported on-air by James Groh and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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