When I read the wonderful May 28 story, “Cemetery cleanup a family thing,” in The Columbian on Memorial Day, I had to voice my opinion on what I saw at this particular cemetery, Park Hill, on that weekend.
My husband went to clean the nine graves of our family, as he always does each year, and when we returned on Sunday to place flowers on these graves, the one particular thing that I noticed was how many grave sites have been neglected and how sad I felt for these people that have died. I know that some of their descendents are no longer living so there is no one to take care of their resting place, but I feel that it is time the City of Vancouver and Clark County governments take responsibility for providing the upkeep of these certain graves. There has to be some type of provisions that the city or county could provide to help in this upkeep of not only Park Hill Cemetery, but other cemeteries that are in dire need of maintenance.
We, as a community, need to start taking responsibility in helping to keep our cemeteries beautiful, just like the people who are buried there.
Cheryl Thomas
Vancouver