Dear Editor,
I am writing this letter in support of Brock McPherson’s proposal that the city council allow more time for Memorial Day decorations to remain on graves at the Great Bend City Cemetery. A few years ago, I had the same experience as Mr. McPherson. On the Friday of the weekend one week prior to the Memorial Day weekend, I had placed flowers on the graves of my parents, my brother, both sets of grandparents, and a cousin. Three days later, most of the flowers had been removed. Ironically, some of the flowers that I had placed on the ground were still there while flowers that had been placed in vases attached to the foundation of the headstone had been removed! Like Mr. McPherson, I was told that the flowers had been removed by cemetery staff and thrown away. The next weekend, Memorial Day, I went out to put flowers back on the graves, and it did not appear to me that the grass had even been mowed during the previous week. Another issue I have is that my brothers headstone, which is flat, had to be re-attached to the foundation because apparently the groundskeepers drove over it or slammed into it while mowing! Maybe this can also be addressed by the city council. Thank you.
Sharon McGinness
Larned