From August 22, 2020
Walking through the cemetery there are graves with small plaques, graves with nothing at all, graves with flowers but no stone, graves with huge granite monuments, and crypts with stained glass and pillars. How many of the seven wonders of the world are tombs?
Looking at the names on the crypts, I can see the history and the wealth of the city. At the same time there are inconsistencies. We were told that an award winning actress is buried without a marker. That was what she wanted. Have I walked past her grave? A former mayor is buried a few feet from Elliot with a simple headstone that is level with the ground. His grave is simple, even though a park is named after him. He is buried next to his wife and son. They must have bought their plots when their son died like Anne and I did.
Death is the great leveler. While monuments may vary, each body lies beneath the same earth decaying. The body doesn’t know the marker. And yet, while the outcome is the same for each person—death, the impact of death leaves a unique scar on those left behind.
