HOUSTON – Susan Wolf may have never met her grandfather but his gravesite and the additional plaque with a poem next to his headstone mean the world to her.
Wolf told KPRC 2 that on June 22, her family realized the headstone was accidentally damaged by the crews at the Woodlawn Funeral Home and Cemetery.
It was also then that they were notified by management that the second plaque was not allowed and would have to be removed.
“I went ballistic. I said, ‘Please, no, don’t do anything until y’all prove to us that it’s legal for y’all to move that. We need to see the deeds,’” Wolf said.
Wolf said her grandfather Charles Robert Wygant was laid to rest here in 1951. The headstone and poem have been there for about 72 years.
The thought of removing one of them brought Wolf to tears.
“I’m not asking for an exception; in my mind, I accept the fact that you want to make new rules from today forward but don’t go back and change what has been. This is history,” said Wolf.
KPRC 2 reached out to the Woodlawn Funeral Home and Cemetery. In a statement, they said:
“Good afternoon,
“Woodlawn Garden of Memories has been in touch with the family of Mr. Charles Wygant over the past several weeks regarding the marker being replaced, as well as the second bronze plaque with a passage at the gravesite.
“The original marker that was purchased was removed after being damaged by equipment used on property for routine maintenance and service. The replacement is expected to arrive within the next few weeks.
“Although the second plaque has been on site for several years, we only allow a single marker to be placed on a single gravesite. When we became aware of the second plaque, we reached out to the family to let them know it would have to be removed and they had the ability to pick it up. Keep in mind, it will remain onsite until the arrival of the replacement marker with Mr. Wygant’s name and dates.
“Our industry is faced with such variance in families’ wishes in honoring their loved ones, and unfortunately, we cannot always allow all the requests in our efforts to maintain uniformity in memorialization. We regret the family was allowed to have this second plaque on-site for so long, but the importance of enforcement fairly is very important to us.
“We hope the family is able to identify a location offsite to install the plaque to preserve the emotional connection they have to their loved one.”
KPRC 2 also asked the funeral home about the sales contract. In a separate statement, they said:
“The contract we have is simply a sales contract that identifies the property purchased, price paid, and to whom it would be deeded. The statement on the contract that has any relativity to this situation is a line that indicates the seller has the ability to change and enforce rules. "
The Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Kathryn Perry went on to say she was out of town and would investigate further upon her return.
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