National cemetery set to open in southern Utah next year

CEDAR CITY, Utah ( ABC4 ) — Roughly a year from now, a national cemetery is expected to open in southern Utah, serving as a final resting place for nearly 15,000 veterans and their families.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that the cemetery under construction in Cedar City will be named the Southern Utah National Cemetery.

The site will serve 14,906 veterans and their family members in the communities of Cedar City and St. George, a news release said.

“We are pleased to expand burial access for veterans in the Southern Utah region and provide them with a final resting place in honor of their service to our nation,” said Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ronald Walters, in a statement.

The cemetery is slated to open in the fall of 2025, offering casket burials and other options, such as placing cremations in-ground or in an above-ground columbarium niche.

The Southern Utah National Cemetery was created under a program called the Rural Initiative, which aims to provide burial access for veterans not currently served by a national cemetery in their state or a nearby one.

Other national cemeteries created under the program include the Yellowstone National Cemetery in Montana, the Snake River Canyon National Cemetery in Idaho, and the Cheyenne National Cemetery in Wyoming.

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