In regard to the Harten family letter of Aug. 3 on the Willow Dale Cemetery policy of removing items left at graves, our daughters’ graves were stripped of everything.

Our daughter passed away in 1999. We bought four lots so we could have an upright stone. We put stone and rock around it so we could place angels, flowers, etc., and flower baskets off the ground. It in no way interrupted mowing.

When we went to the cemetery that July day, we were so angry our memorials to our daughter had been taken. We went up to the cemetery garage intending to talk to someone, and were shocked. The workers had taken many items off the graves and threw them on the burn pile with not a care.

Solar lights, staffs, angels and flowers were all on the pile. We went through it and did find a few things of ours. We did talk with a caretaker; he was not sympathetic at all, just told us we broke the rules.

But we had not been given a single list of rules — from 1938 — which they are just now enforcing. We’re not sure if artificial flowers were in existence then.

We had another daughter pass away in 2011. She had bought one lot, so she had to have a flat stone. We put stone and rock around it. The caretaker (at the time) knew everything we did and never said anything about rules.

Be warned, anyone who has a loved one in Willow Dale. They are going to raid every gravesite.

As of Jan. 1, all flat stones cannot have an object that would impede mowing.

It is hard enough to lose children, but to not be able to put memorials out is terrible. Everything looks cold, as if no one cares. Are these the rules they want to enforce?

Wayne and Kay Duree

Bradford