Mount Union residents upset after gravesite decorations are thrown away

HUNTINGDON COUNTY, Pa. ( WTAJ ) — Dozens of people whose loved ones are laid to rest in the Mount Union Cemetery are upset after discovering that decorations from several gravesites were removed.

The discovery was made over the weekend, which caused some residents to reach out to the Borough Council with their concerns.

“Shock, disbelief. That a part of my child was just as gone as the loss of him. Honestly, no words. Just a lot of pain and tears,” Veronika Barrett said.

Barrett’s son was stillborn about 3 – 4 weeks before his due date and she laid him to rest a year and a half ago. Veronika chose the cemetery because of how peaceful it is.

The decorations were found in the dumpster, but most have been removed so people could sort through them to find the ones they left for their loved ones. Barrett said that she was the first person to “dumpster dive” to locate her son’s decorations.

“There is things that have been placed, you know, at my son’s site from every single holiday and season. In the past year and a half, it’s been like watching him still have the life that he could have had and does have in the ways that he has now. While his family still loves him very much in the ways that he’s still definitely with us and we still carry him,” Barrett said.

Terri Hobbs shares the same sentiments. Her mother was a Marine and is buried in the same cemetery. She drove up from Lewistown when she saw the news circulating on Facebook.

“I mean, it doesn’t look like much, but, you know, when I’m putting it together and thinking about what she liked and what season it is, and, you know, you put a lot of thought and heart into it. So, yeah, I got it back or don’t know what I’ll do with it now. I don’t think I’ll put it back,” Hobbs said.

Luckily she was able to locate her personalized decoration. Barrett added that there was a Veteran’s medal in among the trash and she is now helping to organize the decorations so that they may be returned.

WTAJ contacted the Mount Union Borough Council in response to the frustrations expressed by residents.

“On behalf of the borough council, I’d like to offer a heartfelt apology to the family members, friends and loved ones of everyone that’s laid to rest here for the feelings, you know, and anger that they’re feeling right now. I myself have family throughout this cemetery, so I understand,” Borough President Heath Himes said in an interview.

Himes said that this year the council chose a new contractor. He said that every year, the job is open for bids, and the council elected to go with the lowest one. However, that person is new to the job.

Himes also said there are rules posted at each entrance of the cemetery. Some people argued that they’d been placing decorations there for years without any problems.

“That gentleman would have went off of these rules. I think what we have here is a failure to communicate and moving forward. You know, I can’t change what’s already been done. But moving forward, it is a priority of myself to rectify the situation and find a resolution on how we can move forward and communicate better. On when certain dates may apply for deep cleaning as well as maybe even potentially updating the rules. That’s a decision for council to make,” Himes added.

Get daily updates on local news, weather and sports by signing up for the WTAJ Newsletter .

The next borough council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 1 at 6 p.m. The venue has changed to the Mount Union Fire Hall in anticipation of the amount of people that will show up.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ - www.wtaj.com.