Joliet Cemetery Falls Apart And Nobody Is Fixing It: Ferak Column

JOLIET, IL — If you have a loved one who is buried or plans to be buried at Joliet's Woodlawn Cemetery II, along West Jefferson Street, there is no telling when you will ever be able to visit their grave.

The entrance road leading into Woodlawn Cemetery II has been closed since at least September. That's right, September. Because of the downed trees, no vehicles can drive into the cemetery. The owners and management company for Woodlawn has sat on its hands and done nothing to address the problem.

I was first contacted several weeks ago by loved ones who are frustrated with Woodlawn Cemetery's failure to spend the necessary money to get these large dead trees taken down. Because of soil erosion, a small portion of the road also has collapsed, but I walked the property Thursday and discovered the road is passable if the trees can be taken down.

Until the trees are chopped up and hauled off, the entrance road into Woodlawn Cemetery II remains barricaded and nobody can visit the more than 500 graves in this secluded section of cemetery that can't be seen from West Jefferson Street.

On Thursday afternoon, I parked my vehicle in front of the barricade and managed to wiggle and climb my way through the downed trees to capture several photos showing loved one's graves and headstones that have remained off-limits to the grieving public for months now.

Months, not days, or even weeks.

If you thought getting these downed trees removed was difficult, I found it even harder to speak to someone affiliated with Woodlawn Cemetery to find out why the company has kept its access road into Woodlawn II closed for months.

When will this problem get addressed?

I don't have any answers for you.

First, I left a voice mail with Lindsay Granson, senior vice president of Sales and Marketing for Everstory Partners. I fear that Joliet's Woodlawn Cemetery might be an afterthought for this mega-company.

According to Granson's most recent press release posted Oct. 17, "Everstory Partners .... is pleased to announce that it intends to enter into a management agreement for the management and operation of 84 additional properties consisting of 72 cemeteries, 11 funeral homes and one crematory located across four states - Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina and Kentucky."

Back in April, the Bensalem, Pennsylvania-based cemetery, funeral and cremation service company announced it had changed its name to Everstory Partners after being known for years as StoneMor Inc. The company website indicated StoneMor/Everstory Partners operated 385 locations in 23 different states across the United States plus Puerto Rico.

On Friday, in search of answers to help out Joliet's citizens with loved ones buried at Woodlawn II and no ability to visit them, I called the Illinois Cemetery & Funeral Home Association.

The helpful and knowledgeable representative told me that people impacted first need to contact Woodlawn Cemetery's manager to register a complaint. If they have already done so and did not receive satisfaction, then they should contact the Illinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, she suggested.

On Friday, I also called Woodlawn Cemetery, asking to speak with the maintenance manager. Instead, one of the employees provided me with the out-of-state phone number for Brooke Austin, EverStory's area vice president, who is based in Tennessee. I also left a voice mail message with Austin, inquiring when the Pennsylvania-based funeral service company intends to clear the entrance road, so people can visit or bury their loved ones in this portion of Woodlawn II.

Given the company's lack of progress in September, October and now into November, it might be time for Joliet area politicians and elected representatives to roll up their sleeves and get involved.

Since Joliet State Representative Larry Walsh Jr. just opened his new office two blocks away at the Twin Oaks Plaza on West Jefferson Street, this would be a great opportunity for the Elwood Democrat to show leadership and force the owners of Woodlawn Cemetery to take action.

I left a message Friday with Walsh's staff, letting them know about the unresolved issue at Woodlawn Cemetery.

Then again, if Walsh is not up to the challenge, maybe this is something for Joliet's new Mayor Terry D'Arcy to tackle. Perhaps D'Arcy's non-confrontational, easy-going personality and let's-make-a-few-phone-calls approach can get a tree-cutting service out to Woodlawn Cemetery.

In my estimation, the project of removing the trees and repairing the small section of the road that collapsed is a one or two day job, tops.

For now, Woodlawn Cemetery II remains off-limits. It's a sad reminder of the pitfalls of having an out-of-state owner that has no real connection or attachment to the city of Joliet.

Bensalem, Pennsylvania is 780 miles — 11 1/2 hours by vehicle — from Joliet. The company website proclaims, "At Everstory Partners, our mission is to create supportive spaces where individuals and families can find solace, meaning, and hope in the midst of loss."

If only that pronouncement were true at Everstory's Woodlawn Cemetery properties in Joliet.

UPDATE: Woodlawn Cemetery VP Says Washed Out Road Will Get Fixed Soon