Lebanon, Illinois, residents upset after cemetery mementos left in city dumpster
‘I had no notice until I saw it on Facebook so it was really a shock’
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Grieving families are shocked and looking for memorials left on their loved ones’ graves after the College Hill Cemetery was cleared out of decor.
“I had no notice until I saw it on Facebook so it was really a shock,” said Meredith Malone.
Malone says she logged into Facebook and didn’t realize she was g into a nightmare. Malone buried her mother as a teenager in the College Hill Cemetery.
“I had a very close relationship with my mom and not being able to have something here felt like a memory just ripped away. Now whenever I’m here I don’t have that piece that had a lot of memory behind it,” said Malone.
Malone says she and many others who have family in the City-run cemetery were shocked to find their mementos left at loved ones' graves, dropped in a pile at a shed on the grounds, in the City Hall dumpster, or in her case, never to be found.
The City says it’s because they’re cleaning up, citing a City ordinance.
“That ordinance has been in use for 15 years, we are not enacting it now,” said Alderman George Fero at the March 10th City Council meeting.
Fero says the Superintendent of the cemetery came to them saying it’s time for the annual clean up but in past years, clean up was done by outside companies.
“This is the first year in I don’t know how many years the City took on the responsibility of fully maintaining the cemetery,” said Alderman Fero.
The City ordinances relating to the cemetery don’t allow flowers or plants to be grown at the sites, no styrofoam wreaths or plastic single-stem flowers, only one bouquet per sit and no person shall use a glass jar, tin can, box, basket, or a bucket as a bouquet holder on any grave.
“You can see the mark where there was an angel here with a solar ball, they pried that off but most of it was up here,” said Connie Alvey.
Alvey has many family buried at the cemetery dating back 20 years. She says this has never happened, she visits at least twice a week.
“For me, what hurts the most is we’ve lost 6 grandchildren, she’s the only that we’ve lost 6 grandchildren. She is the only one that’s close enough that I can come to her grave and feel something,” said Alvey.
The City is holding a meeting on April 7 to discuss the ordinances. There are plans to update them moving forward.
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