For the king's ransom funeral homes and cemeteries charge for their services and "products," cemeteries should at minimum keep the grounds mowed (especially prior to Memorial Day weekend), gravestones easily visible, and the vases someone paid dearly for should always be usable. And they should have clear and readable maps of the grounds (with letters in a type size larger than "invisible"), and a supply of those in a box outside their office so you have access even when the office is closed. And/or, in this century, they should provide that map on a website. The letter/number markers on the curbs that are supposed to provide a key to locate the broad general area of this huge cemetery are mostly worn off, so...even with a map...good luck! Their never-updated paper maps have been reproduced so many times everything blends into a gray mass. Since the entire population that "live" in cemeteries are, well, dead, it appears the company thinks their job is done after they collect their fortune for a plot and accoutrements. After all, especially in this time in history, not many generations even visit cemeteries, and those underground have no voice...and it's too late to request a refund! And how many of us still living would take the time to post (or for that matter, read) a review for a cemetery? The semi-attached vases on headstones that you should be able to pull up and set upright for flowers were almost all hopelessly embedded in the ground, and further locked in place upside down by sucking thick mud. If you visit this cemetery, lug along pliers to turn the knob to align the vase notches correctly, a crowbar to pry the vases out, something to claw the mud out of them with, grass trimmers or scissors, a magnifying glass to read their map (IF you are able to get one), and paper towels and hand wipes because your hands will get filthy in the vase-excavation process! I think Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery only accepts deceased Catholics. I hope other more well-kept cemeteries might make room for Catholics who don't want their graves not only forgotten, but also almost impossible to find! read more

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For those criticizing the upkeep of cemeteries such as Mt. Olivet, I challenge you to come here every day (except in inclement weather) for a year and then 2-3 times a week after. Doing so will give you a greater appreciation for the amount of work required to maintain a cemetery. Imagine weed-eating around hundreds, perhaps more than a thousand, headstones, markers, trees, bushes, vases, etc. Imagine trimming hundreds of hedges and trees. Imagine trying to maintain all of the landscaping while preventing damage from herds of deer, flocks of geese and all of the usual animals that eat and damage plants, requiring special preventative work. Imagine doing so under-staffed, while also being on a crew that maintains four other cemeteries. Imagine maintaining the exterior structures--walls, fencing, flower bed enclosures and fountains--as well. Imagine doing so while also having to excavate and install for a headstone, marker, or columbarium, and setup and take down of tents, flooring and chairs for an average of 3 funerals a week, but triple that during Covid. The cemetery costs you complain about would have to be three times as much in order to keep a staff required to meet your expectations. I wonder why you see helping to maintain your loved one's final resting place as a burden instead of an act of love? My son is here and the staff have been kind, considerate and I witness them hard at work every time I come. They do their very best and very seldom get any appreciation from others. They witness sadness, despair and devastation daily, and some work here to be closer to their own departed children, parents, family and friends. It would be a better world if people could complain less, appreciate more and cultivate empathy and understanding. read more