SHERWOOD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A man from Coldwater is trying to find where a veteran is laid to rest, so a plaque in his name can be placed in its rightful spot. The plaque has been in a box in a shed at the Sherwood Cemetery in Branch County, possibly since 1996.
Lonnie Hart first learned about the plaque on Memorial Day. He asked the groundskeeper at the Sherwood Cemetery for a flag to put on another veteran's grave and found out about the plaque that's been gathering dust. It belongs to World War II veteran Herman Finney.
A veteran himself, Hart was determined to find where Finney was buried. He contacted relatives, who either didn't get back to him or did not know about the plaque. He also reached out to the VFW and Veteran's Affairs. Neither responded.
"The man is deserving to have a plaque on his headstone," said Hart. "Whether he has a headstone, I do not know. I am a veteran. I was kind of shocked that somebody, his family or somebody else, did not take the time to track his plaque down."
Hart is asking for any help from locals from Sherwood Township and the surrounding area who may know of Herman Finney or any of his loved ones. Should no one come forward, Hart is determined to find the location on his own.
"If I goota walk every tombstone, grave marker in this cemetery to find Mr. Finney, I am going to do it," said Hart.
When he finds the location, Hart says, he will place flowers by the grave every year until he himself passes away.
