TEMPLE, Texas — A Temple couple said they are out over $3,000 after purchasing a headstone for a deceased family member at the Bellwood Memorial Park Cemetery.
After Danny Holt's wife's mother died in January of 2021 and was buried, the family ordered a headstone through the cemetery after it became damaged ... and it never showed.
"We only got to talk to them once and they would say 'Oh it's on back order' and stuff like that," Holt told 6 News. "We even offered to do a little downgrading on the stone to see if that would help."
When the family got word that the headstone was arriving, the transporters, who were contracted through Bellwood Memorial Park, informed them that the headstone broke while attempting to dig up the grave to replace it.
"So we expected them to fix it," Holt said. "And here we are three years later expecting them to fix it."
Holt said the headstone was purchased, along with a brass plate and header, which came out to around $1,500. But Holt said the headstone was broken by the people contracted to dig the grave.
"It was all set in place with all of my father-in-law's information on it and all they had to do was put the date of death on it," Holt said.
But to this day, a new headstone has never been placed at the grave site, nor were the Holts contacted about the replacement.
"We just get no communication," Holt said. "We hate to go through the legal process because that creates an additional burden on us and them."
Holt said the cemetery has the money already, the gravesite just has to be set.
Ray Harper, the owner of Bellwood Memorial Park Cemetery, said they already filed a complaint with the state after the headstone was broken by the outside contractor.
Harper told 6 News the cemetery does not have the funds to replace the headstone at this time, but said the funds would be "available shortly". Harper added that when the funds become available, the headstone will be ordered and paid for within a 30-day timeline.
Harper said they're having to replace the granite portion of the headstone and the Holt family will not be charged, assuring the family that "it's going to be taken care of."
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