Family members upset after some headstones were removed at Mount Patricia Cemetery without communication

Carl Bennett is the President of the Mount Patricia Cemetery Association. He says the flagstones in question were made by Heritage Memorials out of Nova Scotia, and they were aware of the policy having been supplying headstones for years now.

At least a couple of Corner Brook residents are not pleased and want answers after headstones of family members have been removed at the Mount Patricia Cemetery. Carol Ann Bennett says he son passed away nearly two years ago and on her way to visit his gravesite, she got a call from the Manager at Country Haven Funeral Home to say the headstone was not there and it was being shipped back to Heritage Memorials in Nova Scotia to be shaved down from 6  inches to four inches tall. She says that led to a call to the President of the company, Steven Nelson asking where he got permission to do this. Bennett says he said it was Maxine Park, the manager at the cemetery, who ordered him to get the headstones and shave them down. Meanwhile, Bennett says she can’t understand why these flagstones have to be two inches shorter because they are not in the way of mowing the grass. 

Meanwhile, Judy Brake says she felt devastated when she found her dual mother and sister headstone had also been removed. After seeing a social media post by Bennett being shared, she went to the gravesite after work and found the headstone, which had been there since 2023, was missing. Brake says she has spoken with the association who denies all responsibility stating it’s always been the policy but she wonders if they were too busy to let people know about it. Brake asked who was on the board and was not given the names.  She says a simple phone call letting people know what’s happening could have avoided this. 

Carl Bennett is the President of the Mount Patricia Cemetery Association. He says this started a year ago when a monument supplier noticed some flagstone heights in the Catholic section. Bennett says the flagstones in question were made by Heritage Memorials out of Nova Scotia, and they were aware of the policy having been supplying headstones for years now. He says 12 flagstones are beyond the dimension restrictions and it was up to the manufacturer to inform affected families. Bennett says the company came in without notice and removed the flagstones unexpectedly. He understands how this can be heartbreaking and says the association is always willing to find the answers to questions anyone may have. He says they’ve just completed a $1M expansion at the cemetery and will be meeting with the board soon to discuss ways of improving policies. Meanwhile, Bayfm News reached out to the president of Heritage Memorials for comment but have not heard back. However, in a letter dated on Tuesday of this week, the company said the 6 memorials which were removed are being installed by the end of the day. It also states they “apologize that neither the cemetery nor the customers were contacted prior to removal,” and  they “will ensure that something like this does not happen again.”