Committee to seek funding for veteran grave repairs; approves policy for pet ashes at burials

At its July 15 meeting, the Norfolk Cemetery Committee reported outreach to state officials about funding to repair veterans' graves and agreed on a local guideline for including pet ashes with human burials.

Henry Tirrell said he had contacted State Senator Paul Honig to discuss potential funding to assist with repairing veterans' graves; the committee said it will await more information from the senator’s office before assigning specific work. Sandy Evans provided the Wreaths Across America veteran list she used last year, broken down by cemetery; Richard Byrne has additional lists for Center Cemetery and St. Mary’s Cemetery. Grant Mudge said the local Wreaths Across America event is scheduled for Dec. 19 and noted last year’s event began with roughly 200 veterans and ended with about 250.

On the question of pet ashes, Tirrell reported his research found no state law that explicitly allows or prohibits adding pet ashes to a human burial. Committee members agreed pet ashes may be included at the time of burial if they fit in an urn that does not exceed the plot size (18" x 18" x 18"). Members flagged the need to ensure the urn size complies with plot dimensions at the time of burial.

The committee also discussed identifying unmarked graves and veteran markers; members will continue compiling and verifying veteran lists for each cemetery and coordinate Wreaths Across America planning.