‘It broke my heart’: Veteran brought to tears seeing parents’ grave marker damaged

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — An Air Force veteran was brought to tears when someone damaged his parents’ grave markers. He thought the cemetery would pay for repairs, but it just gave him the runaround.

Roland Jenkins says he spent 20 years in the Air Force.

He lost his father, Roland Clayton Jenkins, during that time and his mother, Evelyn Lou Jenkins, much more recently.

They’re buried at Gaston Memorial Park. Jenkins says about a year ago, he noticed their grave marker was bent, the metal was dipping in the middle like the letter “U”.

“It broke my heart,” he said, choking up. “Seeing Mom and Dad’s [marker] bent.”

He wanted their final resting place pristine. He says he tried to get it taken care of but wasn’t making progress on his own. “‘It’s in the works. It’s being worked [on.]’ Nothing ever comes in. Nothing’s ever done,” he said, speaking about his conversations with the business.

Here’s what you should know no matter where your loved one is laid to rest:

- Typically, the cemetery owns the land. But you own the plot. So, think of it as your property on the cemetery’s property. In other words, it’s your responsibility.

- So read the rules and regulations, especially the part about damage, loss, and theft.

- This issue tends to come up with vandalism and storm damage. Sometimes, the cemetery steps in to help. But, again, legally, it doesn’t have to.

- Homeowner’s insurance may help. But usually, it only covers the marker or monument, not the grave itself. And you need to prove you bought that memorial yourself.

- Don’t forget: if you know who damaged the memorial, you can go after him/her in court.

Even though Gaston Memorial Park may not have had a legal duty to address Jenkins’ concern, Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke emailed the company anyway. Jenkins says just a few days later the cemetery emailed him offering to fix the marker and foot the bill.

The business emailed Stoogenke, “It is always our goal to serve the families we are honored to care for with compassion. We regret that it has taken some time to get this matter resolved but we have met with the family and arrived at an acceptable resolution.”

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