Man finds his life passion in cleaning and restoring gravestones

Meet Wade Fowler, a very kind human who cleans gravestones that have fallen into disrepair. He's based in Iowa, and documents his projects on Instagram, where he calls himself "Millennial Stone Cleaner." He also researches and tells the stories of the people whose gravestones he's cleaning. For example, in a recent video, he tells the story of a one-month-old baby boy who died in 1901. He spent weeks searching for anyone who might be related to the infant and eventually discovered who the baby's parents were, and was able to learn more about the baby and his family.

He also recently posted a video telling his own story, which includes dropping out of graduate school, overcoming an addiction to prescription drugs, and eventually finding his purpose in cemetery preservation work, which he says brings him peace.

To learn more about Wade and his work, check out his Instagram. He also has a Patreon where he describes his work this way:

Hi there, I'm Wade, and I conserve gravestones and tell stories! Every person has a story and I'd love to tell as many as possible while doing the conservation work on their gravestones. Not just the rich and famous but the farmers, the shopkeepers, everyone. Everything you see on my social media pages is volunteer work and I'd be honored to have your support to amplify this project, to conserve gravestones, tell stories and empower others to do the work as well.

On his Patreon you can also donate money or supplies to support his work.