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Taphophilia (dot) Com...
A repository of morbid curiosities:
Thanatology and Taphophile Issues, Cemetery,
Funeral Industry and Death Related News.
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Widower considers filing complaint over cemetery's unkempt premises |
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Written by DeadGirl
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Monday, 05 June 2006 |
By Mc Nelly Torres
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted May 27 2006
When Leonard Kramer visits his late wife's mausoleum in Menorah Gardens & Funeral Chapels, he says his grief turns to anger over the weeds growing at the site, the untended bushes nearby and the piece of marble missing from the wall for many months. "Everybody deserves respect and dignity. I was married to Renee Kramer for 55 years," said Kramer, 76, almost in tears. "These people should not be in the cemetery business."
LocalLinks
But Kramer says his appeals to Menorah Gardens' management have gone unheeded, and he is planning to file a complaint with state regulators if the problems aren't fixed soon.
State officials said hundreds of complaints have been filed against Florida cemeteries in recent years. Floridians filed 170 complaints in the 2004-05 fiscal year against cemeteries and related vendors that licensed with the state, according to Florida records. State officials said they found violations in 17 cases. So far this year, a total of 191 complaints have been filed against the funeral and cemetery industry that license with the state. State officials said that consumers' rights are limited depending on cemetery ownership.
Consumer advocates say problems with prepaid funeral and cemetery arrangements are among the biggest issues with the industry nationwide and in Florida. Consumers who contract for such services have only 30 days to cancel those arrangements and receive a full refund.
But many residents, like Kramer, do not know that state officials have the power to investigate complaints filed by consumers and take disciplinary actions against cemeteries, especially the majority that are licensed by the state.
Rusty Scott, who oversees the two cemeteries Menorah Gardens operates in Broward and Palm Beach counties, said the company is not being negligent in Kramer's case. Hurricane Wilma damaged buildings and trees at those sites. He said the company has spent millions to repair the damage, but is still working to complete those efforts.
"We are trying to do our best," Scott said.
Menorah Gardens came under state scrutiny several years ago after the courts settled two lawsuits filed by the state attorney general's office and a class-action suit filed by families over the management of the operation. The settlements require Menorah Gardens to meet certain criteria for burials, but say nothing about aesthetic issues.
The lawsuits against Menorah Gardens' management company, which is owned by Service Corporation International, prompted the Legislature to enact new laws reforming the regulatory system for cemetery operations.
As a part of the settlement, SCI -- the nation's largest funeral service provider with many locations in Florida -- was required to do a cemetery-by-cemetery review of its burial records to confirm that people were buried in the right place.
"They need to be sensitive to people's needs," said Ervin A. Gonzalez, an attorney who represented families on the class-action suit. "Cemetery staff have an obligation to perpetual care."
Consumer advocates said Menorah Gardens, and other burial facilities, must still keep up maintenance of its cemeteries, under state regulations. "They are required to keep the property in good shape because it is required by law," said Bill Swain, president of the Funeral Consumer Association of Leon County, a consumer advocacy group.
Diana Evans, director of the Florida Division of Funeral, Cemetery and Consumer Services, which oversees state cemetery operations, said Kramer has a valid complaint.
"This shouldn't been happening," Evans said. "They should take care of the basic stuff such as maintenance trimming bushes and pulling weeds."
State laws require cemeteries to provide maintenance such as mowing, trimming and picking up debris. Most cemeteries also set rules about flower arrangements and how long mementos like rocks, cards, flowers and pictures can stay on the property.
Kramer is particularly concerned about the condition of his wife's mausoleum because he is planning a June 11 "unveiling" ceremony -- a traditional service held by family members at the gravesite one year after the death of a relative.
Brett Baker, general manager of Menorah Gardens in Southwest Ranches where Kramer's wife is interred, said the company is aware of Kramer's complaints and is working to resolve them. Andrew N. Cambron, an assistant to the court-appointed counselor who oversees the settlement conditions, said Menorah Gardens at Griffin Road has some maintenance issues. The Southwest Ranches cemetery had a recent problem with the sprinkler system and the mausoleum structures are old.
But that oversight isn't enough for Kramer. On a recent morning, he stared in silence at the engraved marble that bears his wife's name, birth and death dates.
"How could I live with myself, if I don't do anything?" Kramer said.
Five years ago, Kramer and his wife decided to make Menorah Gardens their final resting place, paying $15,000 in full for a crypt. His brother and brother's wife are interred inches above his wife.
Kramer's daughter, Helane Kramer, echoed her father's frustrations.
"He paid a lot of money in full," said Kramer, 53. "Can they clean the place a little? They can't even trim the bushes."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-hlpmenorah27may27,0,3012766.story?coll=sfla-news-florida
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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
Quote Repository
“Be not as one that hath ten thousand years to live; death is nigh at hand: while thou livest, while thou hast time, be good.” Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
Shirtless and Sculpted
The Men of Mortuaries 2008 Calendar is now available! All sale proceeds benefit KAMMCARES, a breast cancer foundation.
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