SAPULPA, Okla. — A Green Country family is looking for a permanent fix after they say their grandmother's grave site is being disrespected.
Family members describe Janice Kennedy as being loved by all and always dedicated to helping others. She passed away in February of 2020.
Her final resting place is Green Hill Cemetery in Sapulpa. Unfortunately, it hasn't been peaceful for her family.
Last spring Kennedy's first gravestone was delivered, shortly after it was run over and damaged.
Now, her family says her grave site has been run over with a backhoe at least three times in the past month, leaving the area muddy and full of tracks.
“They’re desecrating her grave by just driving over it," said Justin Williams, her grandson. "I understand if they have to bury other people, but they have to have routes mapped out to get to these other plots, not just drive over other people’s headstones.”
Kennedy's daughter, Brenda Jetton, said the worst the site looked was on January 5, Janice's birthday.
"It was just horrid," she said. "Horrid. What it looked like. I couldn’t leave the decorations. I couldn’t.”
The family reported the issues to the cemetery owner and said they were told that every cemetery does it.
“You know this is a place that you’re supposed to be able to come and grieve your loved ones and, you know, sit here and think of memories with them and then you have to come and see this and it’s just horrible.", Williams said.
The cemetery owner tells us weather causes muddy conditions in that section every year. He said as soon as it dries out, workers will be here, cleaning it up.
Jetton wants a more permanent fix, she is worried about what will happen in the future.
"I’ve got the plot next to her. You know. Is my son going to have to deal with this next?" she said.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
