The Southern Utah National Cemetery, located at 2181 West 1600 South, was dedicated on September 10, 2025. It is one of over 150 Veteran cemeteries across the nation. Close to 95% of Veterans have a …
U.S. and POW/MIA flags flying near a columbarium at Southern Utah National Cemetery. (Courtesy: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
CEDAR CITY, Utah (ABC4) — Monday marks the first Memorial Day for the first national veterans cemetery in Southern Utah.
The Southern Utah National Cemetery, located at 2181 West 1600 South, was dedicated on September 10, 2025. It is one of over 150 Veteran cemeteries across the nation. Close to 95% of Veterans have a VA or VA grant-funded burial option within 75 miles of their home.
U.S. and POW/MIA flags flying near a columbarium at Southern Utah National Cemetery. (Courtesy: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
The cemetery is one of eight cemeteries designated under the “Rural Initiative.” The assistant director of the cemetery, Chrissy Dixon, told ABC4.com that the initiative helps “ensure that veterans have a close place to bury their loved ones and their families.”
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“This dedication expands VA’s initiative to provide Veterans living in rural locations with final resting places closer to their homes,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “Generations of families will come to visit and remember their loved ones here — a place of spiritual comfort and healing. We will not forget the sacrifices and commitment of those interred in this sacred ground.”
Just over eight acres of the land was acquired for the cemetery in September 2018. Currently, just two acres have been developed for use. Construction started in September 2023 and cost nearly $12 million. The project resulted in an approximate $7 million in economic impact to the local economy. It’s expected to meet the burial needs of nearly 15,000 veterans in the surrounding areas of Cedar City and St. George.
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“As a veteran myself and seeing the community come together, it’s always uplifting to see people remember our history, the history of our nation and everything that veterans have done in service of this nation and making the ultimate sacrifice, and even those who didn’t, knowing that they spent their lives giving whatever amount of time of service to this nation,” Dixon said.
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The first phase of the cemetery in September included 28 traditional gravesites, 345 in-ground crypts, 320 columbarium niches, a memorial wall for 192 markers, 1,204 standard and 34 oversized pre-placed crypts, a committal shelter for interment memorial services, an assembly plaza, restrooms and a pump house.
Dixon said that this is one of 167 National Cemeteries across the nation, and she added that this cemetery is a benefit for veterans. “I want them to know that this benefit exists,” she said.
Joseph Degolyer contributed to this story.
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Source: Utah News