The blue and white Memorial Bench is a tribute to missing person Macin Smith. It was unveiled on Monday, January 21, 2019 at Crimson Ridge Park located at 3000 East Crimson Ridge Drive, St. George, Utah 84790. It is now a fixture of the park located a block or so from where the Smith’s lived for a short time after moving from Canada. The ceremony included Macin’s uncle Joey reading a heartfelt message and a vocalist singing a song called “Bring Him Home.”
The custom-made bench was donated by Creative Metal FX from Hurricane, Utah. It was unveiled by General Manager, Wil DuCrest of Creative Metal FX. On the bench appears an etched anime portrait of Macin drawn by a Smith family supporter. The idea for the memorial bench was reportedly proposed by Macin’s mother’s friend “Stacy” in August of 2018 while the community conducted a search for the missing teen. His mother reportedly said of the bench, “It didn’t feel right to do a graveside memorial site; too depressing”. Remember, Macin has never been found so if that sounds a little odd just add that to the list. The words, “Never Give Up; Never Surrender” and Macin’s birth date and date the parents reported him gone are inscribed on the bench. Macin’s mother reportedly provided the dates and the phrase to be included.
Nowhere on the bench does the word “missing” or “missing person” appear. Some say the date Macin was reported missing resembles a “death date”. A commenter on Facebook recently asked, “Isn’t it odd and infuriating that they used an anime-like drawing of him for the bench”? Remember, they wouldn’t allow Macin to watch anime… Yes. Yes, it is…
