Fairmount Memorial Park

“Never would I have thought I’d need to write a review about where a family member is buried. After four years of my dad being laid to rest here, the cemetery decided to start enforcing a policy that, according to them, has always existed but had never actually been implemented before. This policy specifically applied to décor items and flowers placed at gravesites. While we understand the desire to maintain the grounds, the way this was handled felt rushed, confusing, and incredibly insensitive to families still grieving. We were unaware that the change would include personal memorial items. The communication made it sound like they were referring only to flowers, not plaques, mementos, or other meaningful decorations left by loved ones. Because of that, we didn’t rush to remove anything, assuming it was only about seasonal flowers as we had some other things going on with our family. When my mom went to the cemetery to collect what was left, staff met her at my dad’s site with garbage bags full of everyone’s removed belongings and she had to dig through them to find ours. We only recovered one item. Many of the personalized and sentimental pieces we had left were missing. Not to mention, they left the area in total disarray. When she emailed management, she was told the items were “most likely stolen.” That explanation was both frustrating and hurtful especially since these were custom items with my dad’s name and face on them. To make things worse, there are several other plots in the same area still covered with décor, flowers, and yard ornaments, while ours was completely stripped clean. When I went into the office, I was told that the items around the grounds looked “faded” and “terrible” and that they needed to be removed. But I think sometimes businesses forget that these aren’t just objects, they are expressions of love and remembrance. Maybe the items had faded, but they were placed by family members who cared deeply, some of whom may no longer be here or can’t travel easily. Never once have I looked at another family’s site and thought it looked cluttered or unkempt. Those tokens are part of the grieving process not something to be judged for their appearance. This entire situation could have been handled with much more compassion and thought. If the cemetery wanted to begin enforcing a policy that had never been enforced before, the right thing to do would have been to communicate clearly and give families time for example, stating “Beginning in 2026, we will start enforcing our décor and flower policy.” Instead, the rollout felt abrupt, confusing, and dismissive of the emotional impact it would have. When we chose this cemetery, part of what drew us to this particular garden was being told we could decorate my dad’s site however we wanted. That promise, and the comfort it brought, was a big reason for our choice. To see that change enforced so suddenly, with little empathy or communication, has left us deeply disappointed and hurt.”

— Nicole M

“I like coming here when I run. Its very peaceful and quiet.”

— The Idiot Dostoevsky

“A central doesn't close until dusk. Maybe the new officer who must run things as a grounds man should get the memo about what dusk is. I still had 20 minutes to visit my loved one at the cemetery.”

— Amanda Schenk