Is it worth purchasing perpetual care?
In a letter to the editor, a reader asks whether others are experiencing issues with the groundskeeping at the Tewksbury Cemetery.
Dear Editor,
My dad and my mother-in-law and father-in-law are buried in Tewksbury Cemetery. I’m sorry, but it is a disgrace. My husband and I went today to place a basket for Christmas on their graves and the amount of leaves not cleaned up is unacceptable.
When our parents purchased their burial plots, they paid for perpetual care. In my opinion, that does not exist. In the Fall the leaves are not picked up, and in the Summer the grass is not mowed.
I called a couple of months ago and the gentleman who answered the phone was very nice but he said he didn’t have the help to maintain the grounds. The cemetery is privately owned but by whom? Why can’t the town of Tewksbury intervene and make the owners clean it up? What is perpetual care?
The owners should be embarrassed — if they even care. I am hoping other people will speak out about this. Maybe if some town officials are aware of this they would step up to address the issue with the owners of the cemetery.
Regards,
Paulette Kapust
Well said.
Tewksbury cemetery is privately owned by lot owners. The board of selectman makes up the board that oversee operations. Today there are 2 people who maintain that grounds. If you’re so upset about the groundskeeping maybe you should go to their board meeting and discuss it rather hide behind a computer screen.
Hi Pearl, as a point of clarification, I looked into whether the Select Board has any authority over the Tewksbury Cemetery. They do not. It’s a private board. Thanks, Lorna