Sanpete County resident fights for the right to place a grave marker for his wife
Roy Pogue sits beside the monument he spent the last two years building as a headstone for his wife in the Moroni cemetery. Pogue says that he built the monument according to the regulations that were given to him by Moroni City officials but that he is now being forced by the city to get a variance to place the stone.
The monument created by Roy Pogue for his wife's headstone is full of details, including lifelike trees and hand-carved "petroglyphs" .
MORONI — When Roy Pogue’s wife Christine passed away two and a half years ago, he tried to find a monument company that would create a grave marker to memorialize his wife and their family. But his vision was not in keeping with traditional monuments and no company could create the monument. So, Roy set out to create a grave marker himself to memorialize his wife of 41 years.
After two years of work, the marker, which is made of a combination of white Portland cement and grey Portland cement reinforced with rebar, is finished. To say it is a work of love and a work of art is an understatement.
Roy created the two cement “aspen stumps” on either side of the monument, which he carefully molded in rubber from actual trees, as to be five feet and four inches tall like his wife and five feet and nine inches talk like himself. There are six short stumps or limbs which represent their six children, each one carved with the initials of a child.
The rock foundation between the aspens is a bench which is finished to look like sandstone and decorated with petroglyphs of deer and big horn sheep considered by ancient cultures to be spirit guides. Shortly before her passing, Roy’s wife Chris made a simple request – she wanted her memorial to say, “off on another adventure”, so that inspirational statement has been engraved on the monument as well. Roy chose the quaking aspen for the memorial design because it is said to be the largest living organism on earth since underground the roots grow together.
The monument was created within the size specifications given to Pogue by (then) Moroni City sextant Allen Morley. Christine Pogue was buried in the family plot in the Moroni Cemetery since Christine Pogue’s family are all buried in there and it was Christine’s wish to be buried close to her family. Roy Pogue purchased 7 plots in the cemetery even though Roy and Christine resided in Wales. But when the grave marker was finished Pogue was unable to get permission from Moroni City to install the monument.
He was informed that it was too large – the size specifications for grave markers having recently been changed to disallow markers over 36″ tall, even though according to Pogue three quarters of all the current markers exceed that height. Pogue was told he would need a variance from the Moroni City Council to be able to place his wife’s grave marker that he so lovingly created.
Pogue has had this magnificent monument on display outside of Value Mart in Moroni hoping to inspire citizens to support him in his effort to get the stone approved for placement in the cemetery. Numerous people have contacted the Moroni City Council to support him in his quest. Pogue hopes to go before the Moroni City Council at their next meeting on August 20th to petition for the variance to place the marker. In the meantime, Pogue hopes citizens will continue to support him by calling the Moroni City Council to voice their opinion.
