AVON - Families with loved ones buried at Resthaven Memory Gardens in Avon say the conditions there have been a problem for years.
Now, one of them has taken matters into her own hands.
“It’s an emotionally distressing kind of an issue to live through,” says Nancy King, whose dad was buried at Resthaven in 1987, her mom in 1991. Her sentiments have been echoed for month by many people.
Nancy added, “1200 of us are feeling that this is disrespectful of the dead. It is almost a desecration.”
Over the past several years, Nancy and others with loved ones resting in the Avon cemetery have been finding headstones under water. One man several months ago even had to use a shovel just to reassure himself the headstone was still there.
“Flooding issues began being reported in 2012, so these issues have been in existence for a long time,” says King.
They’ve filed formal complaints with the state, held protests and even posted signs throughout the cemetery to express their frustrations. However, they say the only action they’ve seen is some fill dirt brought in and the promise of an eventual solution.
It finally drove Nancy, who now lives more than 2000 miles away, to take matters into her own hands.
She got a court order to have her parents dug up, cremated and shipped out to her in California. However, she says Stonemor, the company that owns the cemetery, wanted her to sign a settlement, drop her case with Ohio’s Department of Commerce and sign a non-disclosure agreement, so that she couldn’t talk about her experience.
“Asking this old lady to keep her mouth shut about this particular situation wasn’t going to happen,” says King.
It took time and it wasn’t cheap, but Nancy finally managed to disinter her parents. She says the price was well worth it, to know her parents are resting in peace and not under water.
Nancy concluded, “If I would have had to stand out on a street corner with a tin cup asking for money, I would have done that. I can’t even begin to describe the amount of peace that this has given me.”
When asked to comment on the flooding situation and on the case of Nancy’s parents exhumation, a cemetery spokesperson issued the following statement.
"Resthaven Memory Gardens' mission is to help families memorialize every life with dignity, including providing and maintaining a tranquil and beautiful place for memorialization. As we have previously noted, we are working on multiple fronts to improve conditions at the property, including a comprehensive drainage solution. We continue to be in consultation with engineering professionals to develop these plans. In the meantime, we remain committed to serving our families and the local community."