HARTLAND — A group of people in Waukesha County is upset after personal mementos were removed from gravestones at The Gardens of Stonebank Cemetery in Hartland.
“I drove up from Oklahoma, came here first, and everything was gone. Then I looked around, and everything was gone from everybody’s gravestones,” Nancy Vanderpool recalled.
Vanderpool’s sister, Maureen, is buried at the cemetery. She keeps an angel and other tokens at her gravestone.
Many others with loved ones at the cemetery also have flowers, mementos, flags, and even photos at gravestones.
They told TMJ4 they were shocked to see their special tokens removed and put into a pile on August 1.
“There were angels laying on the ground and crosses. You had to dig through it like someone just tossed it there,” Sue Simons explained.
Several community members shared photos on Facebook and sent messages to TMJ4 asking why.
On Monday, over a dozen of those people gathered at the cemetery, along with the president.
“When we bought the cemetery in 2007, we had rules, but it’s been too lenient,” Christine Toson, the president, explained.
“We sent out a Facebook notification that said we’ll be cleaning off the cemetery with unregulated decorations. We did another email blast, but not everyone is on that.”
Watch: Loved ones upset after personal items removed from Hartland Cemetery
Toson said any item off the ground is permitted as long as it’s not in the way of the groundskeeping.
This Facebook Post was shared May 23:
This email was sent out in July, but according to Toson, of the 500 contacts they have, there are only 283 with email addresses.
Some with loved ones at the cemetery said they never received the notification and want a public apology.
“They didn’t give enough notice. They could’ve put a sign up two months ago,” Simons expressed.
On Monday, Toson and community members said they would create a committee to find a compromise.
“I just hope we can have this all resolved. I would love to have everything back again,” Vanderpool said.
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