BOZEMAN — As part of the Veteran's Day celebrations in Bozeman, hundreds gathered at Sunset Hills cemetery to dedicate a columbarium - a spot where loved ones can lay their veterans to rest.
“He was pretty loose about where his ashes would go, 'whatever you think is best,'” says Alisa Allgood about her father.
Last year we introduced you to Alisa Allgood. She, like many other families of veterans in Southwest Montana, has been waiting to inter their loved one’s ashes at Sunset Hills Cemetery. That wait could soon come to an end.
“My father would be beyond proud. I had a sense that he was here today and smiling. So it's, it's really, really special. Not only for my family but for lots of families,” says Allgood.
Allgood’s parents Dick and Sarah Allgood, both Air Force Captains, passed away in 2020. The wait to give her parents a final resting place has been four years in the making, but it's something that the late Dick Allgood started more than a decade earlier.
“My father started on it with the group of people here on this team, in this committee over 11 years ago has come to fruition,” says Allgood.
On this Veteran's Day, it’s a dream come true for the Allgood.
“Closer to not only me but a lot of people being able to get their loved ones and their final resting place,” says Allgood.
The project to build the Columbarium is a partnership between the Southwest Montana Veteran Alliance and the City of Bozeman. They’ve raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and the city donated the land.
Mayor Terry Cunningham understands the need for the Columbarium.
“My father, Christopher Cunningham staff sergeant of the Army, is in a columbarium just like this in Farmingdale New York, so I know the comfort that this brings,” says Cunningham.
Two new Veterans Columbariums will provide just under 500 veterans a final resting place at Sunset Hills, and a sense of closure for hundreds of families.
“Getting their loved ones to their final resting place. It's been over four years for both of my parents,” says Allgood, surrounded by dozens of people who helped get the project off the ground
“It means that the job is completed,” says Allgood. “ His best buddies were here, which was pretty awesome. but it felt joyous. It felt joyous.”
The project isn't done yet - there are still two more phases to go to build four more columbariums. If you would like to donate to help fund the rest of the project you can donate to the Southwest Montana Veterans Alliance.
