Widow Felt Slighted By In-Laws So She Defaced Dead Husband’s Tombstone: Cops

JOLIET, IL — A widow felt snubbed by her in-laws after she saw her husband’s new tombstone made no mention of their marriage, so she defaced the memorial with a permanent marker, police said.

Gloria Barber, 63, went to Elmhurst Cemetery on Friday to visit her husband’s grave, police said.

“When she got there she observed the tombstone that was recently placed there by one of her in-laws,” police said. “The in-law had ‘Father and Son’ engraved on the headstone. Gloria felt that ‘Husband’ was intentionally left off the headstone because of hard feelings between her and some of her husband's family members.”

Barber and her husband had been married for 33 years, police said.

Feeling slighted, Barber allegedly went ahead and added “Husband” to the tombstone, using a permanent marker to make the alteration.

One of Barber’s in-laws reportedly called the cops on her and “she implicated herself” when questioned about the tombstone.

Barber was taken to the Will County jail Friday afternoon and later released on her own recognizance.