Crest Lawn Memorial Cemetery

“Absolutely beautiful place. I visited here trying to locate some family plots for genealogy research. The people in the office were very helpful and we were able to locate the plots with no problem with their help.”

— Ghost Shopper

“Long story short: they require a granite headstone with a bronze plate on top in the portion of the cemetery my grandparents are in, which starts at $1800. It's called "The Bronze Section," and that is your ONLY option. There is no environmental concern that requires this, nor is there a city, county, state, or federal regulation anywhere remotely stating the need for this specific type or headstone or uniformity. Crest Lawn requires it purely for aesthetic reasons. When I asked why this is required, I was basically told "because it's been this way since 1954." I needed to make sure I understood that I was actually going to have to tell my family that we can't honor Grandma, Grandpa, & Daddy's wishes because there's only one ridiculously expensive headstone option, well beyond my (and I believe most) family's budget. Jessie got pretty angry with me & said some upsetting things (nothing profane or overtly aggressive, just upsetting). Honestly, I felt like he was angry b/c they didn't have a better answer for why there's only 1 option other than " b/c it looks nice" or telling me I can sell the plot. Even though he was heated, I calmly reminded him that I hadn't asked them to change or make any exception, just explain. He mentioned appearance again; what I had been thinking about would've been small enough that it would barely be seen, but he didn't care. How would that affect anyone what in the cemetery? I said I wouldn't want anything large or ostentatious, like a mausoleum put there or something, that would stand out. Then Jesse's said, "well, you could do that if you wanted to." Which confused me, so I said, "but I thought you said only the bronze plated granite headstones are allowed in that section..." to which he replied, "yes, they are." The communication here is not great & from my experience, it's quite expensive to have a loved one laid to rest in the flat headstone section, also known as "The Bronze Section." I don't know about the cost in the other areas of the cemetery. I do know that if I could go back & talk to my grandpa about this experience when he was buying the plots, he would've chosen somewhere else rather than burden his family with a minimum $2K expense to actually use the plot he'd purchased. I'm also betting that since they died years ago $2K not even close to what Grandma's headstone was in 87', Grandpa's in 94'. Times change, people are struggling, death & grief are one some the hardest parts of life to deal with. To put such a restriction on people for aesthetic purposes is cruel & heartless, in my opinion. Have a certain standard, grade, or quality that must be met, but don't just give one option or it's "too bad, sorry not sorry for you." (No, they didn't actually say those words, it was just the vibe they have). So now the plot will sit empty & my father's & grandparent's last wishes will not be met. Because of aesthetics & money. Very compassionate. Update: as I was writing this Brad called me from Crest Lawn to "apologize for upsetting me" & try to "explain to me" that their requirements aren't wrong or hurting anyone in any way, it's just the way it is and always has been. Since I was reminded several times that this is the way it is & always has been, I have to assume that Crest Lawn cemetery is trapped in some sort of time warp bubble that does not allow them to update with the times, economy, &/or society, or make any changes regarding this policy that could help people in my circumstances. From what I could understand of the conversation, Brad's main purpose in calling me was to convince me that what they are choosing is ok & to assuage whatever guilt they felt. I wish I could get my grandparents out of there now. They would be so upset to know their beloved son will not be resting beside them.”

— Joanna B

“Beautifully maintained grounds with a hardworking crew”

— Michael Miller