Clare Veteran Honors Others by Cleaning Headstones

Morningstar Fallen Heroes Project

Marcus Morningstar scrubs a gravestone at Maple Grove Cemetery on July, 10. He uses a specific type of brush with horse-like hairs to not ruin the grave but still get the algae off.

Cleaver photos by Ethan Wallace

Harry J.W. Simpson’s gravestone before the D/2 biological solution is applied at Maple Grove Cemetery.

Cleaver photos by Ethan Wallace

Marcus Morningstar sprays a wet gravestone with the D/2 biological solution to clean the gravestone. The organic growth has already started to clear off of the gravestone after five minutes.

Cleaver photos by Ethan Wallace

The military gravestone of Civil War Veteran First Sergeant Dennis M. Doran, Company B, 16th Michigan Infantry illustrates the before and after effect of Morningstar’s work. Doran is buried in the Greenwood Township Cemetery.

Cleaver photos by Ethan Wallace

Posted Thursday, July 16, 2026 1:00 pm

By ETHAN WALLACE

CMU Journalism Intern

HARRISON – Marcus Morningstar of Clare, has an enduring passion to honor veterans. Inspired by family and loss, he has cleaned veteran gravestones for over six years to preserve their legacy.

Morningstar said he started to clean gravestones after he went to visit his grandpa’s (WW2 veteran) gravestone and couldn’t find it after it had been buried in dirt. Even though Morningstar didn’t know him well, he thought it was important for his grave to be well kept.

His late-friend, Robert Friese, died in the Iraq war in 2011 and he wants him to be honored after death.

Morningstar is a veteran himself who served from 2007 to 2011, he saw it was important that veterans get recognition.

He said graves are a way to memorialize veterans who served and protected the United States.

“Cleaning their graves is something I can give back to them,” Morningstar said. “Not every family can go out and clean them or they don’t know how.”

One time there was an older lady who stared during a grave cleaning, Morningstar said. It turned out to be her ancestor, and she appreciated the grave looking clean again.

Morningstar said when he started cleaning graves, it became a hobby and something relaxing to do. Once he was inspired, learned how to clean them through videos online.

During lunch breaks, afterwork or even on vacations Morningstar said he brings cleaning supplies to clean graves when he can. Even if it is just one grave, it can mean a lot when people see their loved ones’ graves are taken care of.

He eventually started posting his work on Facebook at Morningstar Fallen Heroes Project. He posts before and after pictures along with biographical information about the veteran.

After six years of cleaning, Morningstar Fallen Heroes Project became a nonprofit in June. He said the donations will help him buy cleaning supplies and better tools to clean graves.

Someone can’t clean a grave with just anything, Morningstar said. The wrong cleaning products could ruin a gravestone.

Throughout the cleaning process, Morningstar keeps the gravestones wet with cold water. He applies a cleaning solution called D/2. He said it is a biological solution that removes mold, algae and other organic growth from sculptures and headstones but does not damage the stone.

After he lets D/2 settle for about 20 minutes. He proceeds to scrub, rinse with water and lightly applies the solution again.

There usually is a difference right away after cleaning the gravestone the first day, Morningstar said. However, it can take a few weeks or a month for the solution to fully process and the stone to look new again.

Follow Morningstar on Facebook at Morningstar Fallen Heroes Project.