Downtown Georgetown
Cemetery Troubles
RECEIVED Mon., Nov. 21, 2022
Dear Editor,
It is hard to deal with this publicly, but I feel the need to add to recent submissions regarding Austin’s cemeteries.
My family was devastated by the death of my 5-year-old grandson in 2021 following a two-year battle with pediatric cancer. We buried our beloved little superhero at Austin Memorial Park. Seems unimaginable, but the cemetery administrators managed to add to our already tremendous grief. The worst incident involved the chopping down of the gentle tree that stood directly at the head of my grandson’s plot and that led us to that spot. I contacted the staff to replace the tree and offered to cover the expense. All evidence pointed to the cemetery staff mistakenly thinking the tree was dead and chopping it down. The staff rejected my plea and said the stump would remain. It was a heartbreak every day to see the little stump at the head of the grave, and as the date marking one year from his death was approaching, it was a terrible, terrible time for our family. The callous and unreasonable action of the staff was reversed only after I got the attention of the PARD director who immediately acted to plant a new tree. We are very grateful to her, but there is no excuse for the behavior of the cemetery staff and no reason to believe they do not treat other families in the same way. In particular, random enforcement of rules that are unclear to begin with have hurt ours and other families.
The proposed rules do not ensure proper functioning. One glaring omission is a process to appeal decisions of the cemetery administrators.
Everyone who thinks they may ever wish to bury a loved one in an Austin cemetery should pay attention to the process underway. Know what you are getting yourself into.
It is hard to deal with this publicly, but I feel the need to add to recent submissions regarding Austin’s cemeteries.
My family was devastated by the death of my 5-year-old grandson in 2021 following a two-year battle with pediatric cancer. We buried our beloved little superhero at Austin Memorial Park. Seems unimaginable, but the cemetery administrators managed to add to our already tremendous grief. The worst incident involved the chopping down of the gentle tree that stood directly at the head of my grandson’s plot and that led us to that spot. I contacted the staff to replace the tree and offered to cover the expense. All evidence pointed to the cemetery staff mistakenly thinking the tree was dead and chopping it down. The staff rejected my plea and said the stump would remain. It was a heartbreak every day to see the little stump at the head of the grave, and as the date marking one year from his death was approaching, it was a terrible, terrible time for our family. The callous and unreasonable action of the staff was reversed only after I got the attention of the PARD director who immediately acted to plant a new tree. We are very grateful to her, but there is no excuse for the behavior of the cemetery staff and no reason to believe they do not treat other families in the same way. In particular, random enforcement of rules that are unclear to begin with have hurt ours and other families.
The proposed rules do not ensure proper functioning. One glaring omission is a process to appeal decisions of the cemetery administrators.
Everyone who thinks they may ever wish to bury a loved one in an Austin cemetery should pay attention to the process underway. Know what you are getting yourself into.
Sandra Reynolds
