LOWER PAXTON TOWNSHIP, DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. - There are concerns over the way grave sites are being taken care of at a Dauphin County Cemetery. Some are complaining the graves are being covered by dirt and grass and flags put on veteran's graves appear to be ripped by a mower.
"Running over the American flag," said Deborah Reigle, who's parents and grandparents are buried at the Woodlawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery. "There's something terribly wrong with that."
Reigle found her parents' and grandparents' gravestones in horrible condition when she visited last week. Her parents and grandfather were veterans. The flags that were on their graves were put up by veterans from the American Legion Post 730.
"I think it's horrible they [Woodlawn] treat their veterans like that," said Reigle. "And they with no care at all just run over them with the mower."
Reigle says this is the worst she's ever seen the gravestones but has had problems with Woodlawn in the past.
"They've all but thrown me out of the office," said Rigle. "You know I go in there and I'm pretty adamant about having it look better, but once your family is buried there or your friends are buried there, there's no getting them out. You know, they take your money for the burial and then they don't take care of the cemetery."
StoneMor, the corporate offices of Woodlawn issued this statement when asked about Reigle's concerns:
Woodlawn Memorial Garden's mission is to help families memorialize every life with dignity, including providing and maintaining a tranquil and beautiful place for memorialization. In this instance, we have fallen short of our standards. The matter is being addressed, and we want to reassure our families and the local community that we are committed to serving them and their loved ones.
