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Grand Rapids family in gravesite dispute

Written by DeadGirl
Sunday, 24 July 2005
(Kent County, July 22, 2005, 7:22 p.m.) Blind-sided. That's how one East Grand Rapids family is describing the disinterring of one of their own from a local cemetery without notification. How can this happen? Who takes ownership of a loved one after they have been laid to rest? That is a question most of us never need to ask. We bury our loved ones and do our best to move on. But what if there is someone in the picture who is not happy with the cemetery arrangements? Can they simply move the body? That's what the Swaney family is faced with after learning the disturbing truth. Bill Swaney was an avid golfer. His gravesite at city owned Woodlawn Cemetery in Grand Rapids overlooks the eighth hole at Indian Trails Golf Course. "Whenever we play this hole we visit our uncle," said Billy Stewart, Bill's nephew. But on a latest visit, they came across a shocking discovery. Uncle Bill was being exhumed. "We had no knowledge of this happening. And if the boys hadn't been playing golf and come to the eighth hole at the right time, and as mentioned, there is a God, because that worked," said Russel Swaney, Bill's dad. The Swaneys contacted Grand Rapids' legal department. It halted the digging and covered the hole in the ground with wooden planks. But who would do such a thing? "She's just made our lives a living hell," said Jennifer Swaney, Bill's ex-wife. Widow Kimberly Swaney requested the disinterring, signing and notarizing paperwork with the state. 24 Hour News 8 called Kim and even stopped by her home to find out why. She was unavailable. But the paperwork speaks for itself: transfer her late husband to a cemetery in Big Rapids. "And she says, 'prefer to be in a Catholic cemetery and to be buried with family,'" said Russel. Although Kim is a Big Rapids native, the Swaneys claim Bill's true family is in Grand Rapids, as they hold annual Christmas Day visits to the cemetery and hit a bucket of golf balls near the gravesite. "And our whole family gets to take one swing to try and hit the green," said Steve Swaney, Bill's brother. Bill Swaney died two years ago, at age 40, from a stroke. His father purchased four cemetery plots overlooking the golf course. Before the funeral, Bill's widow requested she buy and own those plots. Now, in her possession, she wants Bill moved. 24 Hour News 8 sifted through Michigan law to discover she has the right as a surviving spouse. We spoke with Kimberly Swaney's attorney who tells us she has "no comment" at this time. We also contacted Grand Rapids legal department. It tells us this is an unusual circumstance, and although the widow holds the permit to exhume her husband's body, it has put a stop to the relocation until this family dispute is settled in court. http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?s=3630030&ClientType=Printable

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Taphophilia?

taphophilia (taf′ō-fil′ē-ă)

ORIGIN:
From the Greek words taphos, meaning "tomb" or "sepulcher" and philia, meaning "attraction or affinity to something, in particular the love or obsession with something"

DEFINITION: 1. An excessive interest in graves and cemeteries. 2. A love or fondness for funerals, graves, and cemeteries. 3. In psychiatry, a morbid attraction to graves and cemeteries