Owners of a double-booked grave site at the Cortez Cemetery have decided to not accept compensation or pursue legal action.<\/p>\n
Instead, Bob and Lorraine James, of Farmington, N.M., have decided to donate their lots to a grieving family.<\/p>\n
The James\u2019s had been steadfast in correcting a cemetery error they discovered on Memorial Day. A cremation burial had placed on a portion of two burial lots they purchased for themselves in 2001.<\/p>\n
Last week, they had a change of heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try and live our lives by what is right, not who\u2019s right,\u201d stated Lorraine James. \u201cWe would like to deed our remaining one-and-a half plots to the family\u201d who lost a son buried there.<\/p>\n
When informed by phone, the recipient, who asked not to be identified, said it was the first she had heard of the offer and would accept it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are grateful for the generous gesture. It touches my heart, and is very kind after all that we have been through,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Cortez cemetery has been struggling with incomplete and incorrect records for the older part of the cemetery, established in 1892.<\/p>\n
Cemetery officials admitted to the unintentional mix-up and apologized, blaming it on confusing records that were misinterpreted by a new manager. The full-body gravesites purchased by the Jameses were labeled in the records with letters, typically used to indicate a cremation site. Because of the labeling error, the site was resold for a cremation burial.<\/p>\n
As compensation, the district offered a settlement to the Jameses that included buying back the plots at the current rate, giving them two nearby full-burial plots, and covering burial and closure costs of about $900.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the Jameses said the offer was generous, but they declined, opting instead to deed the remaining one-and-a-half lots to the family who buried a young son there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not want, nor will we seek further redress in this issue,\u201d the Jameses said.<\/p>\n
Cemetery board member Jim Bridgewater said he was \u201cpleasantly surprised\u201d by the counter offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey went above and beyond and their understanding of an emotional situation is very appreciative,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bridgewater said he will make a motion at the next meeting that the Jameses be granted any two burial plots within the cemetery.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel that our offer should be honored by our board and future boards should they decide to be buried here in the future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As a result of the mix-up, cemetery officials enacted a moratorium on selling additional plots from the older part of the cemetery in Blocks 1, 2 and 3.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo avoid future problems, we will not sell there,\u201d said manager Chris Carlson. \u201cWe just don\u2019t have good records for that older section.\u201d<\/p>\n
Local historian June Head, a former cemetery board member, is conducting an inventory of the 5,500 grave sites at Cortez Cemetery. The survey process involves comparing deeds with the cemetery records and the grave location.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust talking with families about where their loved ones are buried has cleared up a lot,\u201d Head said.<\/p>\n
Considering how old the cemetery is Head \u201cdefends the record keeping\u201d and said efforts are being made to find and correct mistakes.<\/p>\n
Even before the area was a cemetery, people were buried in that location, she said. Some headstones from the late 1800s were made of sandstone and have physically eroded away. Another challenge, original records from 1892 to 1933 are missing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe records are good in the newer sections,\u201d Head said. \u201cI could see why there are mistakes. We\u2019re not the only cemetery that has record-keeping challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Jamese always emphasized that one reason for their efforts was to prevent the mistakes from happening again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see the cemetery district making every attempt to get the records straightened out and that is the most important thing,\u201d stated Lorraine James.<\/p>\n