I was informed of a cemetery theft of bronze vases and I was reminded of a theft of an item at my father's grave earlier this year.
My father was a huge fan of the Florida Gators! He could recite statistics freely. His idea of fun was to watch videotapes of previous Florida-Florida State games, particularly those games in which the Gators won!
Dad had a sense of humor where he called one of his grandchildren "Gator." He loved his gators!
I thought it was only fitting after he passed on to leave a concrete gator with the University of Florida colors on his grave. Dad would have blushed with happiness were he alive to see the gift.
Unfortunately, someone stole the gift from my father's grave not long after the placement. If a cemetery item isn't tied down or marked, someone will steal it!
Earlier this year, I ordered two stars one for the Marine Corps and one for the Army. I plan to leave the Army star at Dad's grave and the Marine Corps star at my own memorial site. See articles 182 and 183 at http://www.valdostamemorials.com/articles/VMArticles10.asp for photos of my memorial. Plan ahead I say!
Anyway, I had both stars engraved at a trophy shop so they will hopefully not be stolen from the cemetery sites. You can see the stars on my website at http://www.valdostamemorials.com/USMetalCollection.asp. Folks love these stars and they are a great gift for any veteran.
Remember, cemetery thefts bring bad karma upon the thief and St. Peter is not going to be happy with anyone who seeks entry through the Pearly Gates with this mark on their character. Instill respect for the dead and a love for others by talking to your children and relatives about the importance of cemeteries and how the respect we show the dead reflects upon our values in our society. Just do it as you know it is the right thing to do!
Burton Fletcher
Burton@USAMonuments.com
www.USAMonuments.com
WDEF News 12-->
Published on WDEF (http://wdef.com/)
Couple Charged with Cemetery Thefts
By Larry Mack
Created Dec 13 2006 - 12:53pm
Authorities from two counties believe they've solved a rash of thefts from local cemeteries. 39-year-old Billy Joe and 34-year-old Bonnie Evans of Monroe County face theft charges for stealing bronze vases from cemeteries in both Monroe and Bradley Counties. Bradley detectives believe the couple stole 49-vases from the Sunset Memorial Cemetery between October 11th and November 3rd. The break in the case came when the owner of a Monroe County salvage business read about the thefts. He alerted deputies, when he realized some of the vases may have been sold at his business.
