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Jonathan Buckaway, the son of my friend, Tamara Buckaway, and a fellow real estate broker who served the Winston-Salem area, passed away prematurely in the fall of 2011. When I was in the hospital, giving birth to our youngest son, Jonathan's mother was experiencing the unthinkable and burying her only son. She had previously lost her daughter to a terminal illness and moved to the United States to be with Jonathan and his family, including three precious kids that continue to be the pride of Tamara's heart, though she rarely gets to see them.
Three weeks after Jonathan's death, Tamara moved out of the family home and become a guest of our family. During the six month period to follow, we drove her various places, including the grave site where her son was buried. Having difficulty locating his plot at Westlawn Gardens of Memory in Clemmons, NC, we asked the office manager for help. We were informed that the insurance company had denied the claim and the burial plot was delinquent. According to their policy, after a period of time, they would remove the temporary marker and a permanent marker could not be placed to until the balance was paid in full. The original balance, with interest, exceeded $5,000. Tamara picked out a marker and set up a payment plan of $50 a month, which was all that she could afford on her fixed income (the Canadian equivilant to Social Security in the U.S.). The manager at Westlawn Gardens of Memory in Clemmons, North Carolina transferred the responsibility of the debt into Tamara's name and said that the marker would not be placed on the grave until the account was paid in full, but they would "try" to keep the temporary marble block with the worn sticker, showing his name, unless they "needed it for someone else".
Periodically, I visit the grave site to make sure that there are flowers and that the block has not been removed. On my last visit, I inquired about the balance, hoping that it was something that I could help with. I was told that since her payment arrangement had been set up in 2012, almost all of it had basically been applied to the interest on this debt that was originally not even her legal responsibility. She voluteered for it to honor her son and to assure that her grandchildren would be able to find their father's burial site if ever they were able to come back to the United States and attempt to.
Tamara now lives in Canada, where she continues to send her $50 per month payment for this burial plot. Due to the currency exchange rates, it is costing her more than $70 per month of her fixed income. To add insult to injury, if she were to pass away before the debt is paid (current payoff is $2,900), then the cemetery will "write it off" and no marker will be placed. I have requested a settlement of this debt for a lesser amount, due to the nature of the situation, but it was refused.
Thank you for helping this precious lady give this final gift to her son! If there were to be any additional monies collected, exceeding the costs of the balance due at the grave site, the funds with go directly toward the credit card balance that she has used to pay the monthly payment since 2012.
James 1:27 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
Three weeks after Jonathan's death, Tamara moved out of the family home and become a guest of our family. During the six month period to follow, we drove her various places, including the grave site where her son was buried. Having difficulty locating his plot at Westlawn Gardens of Memory in Clemmons, NC, we asked the office manager for help. We were informed that the insurance company had denied the claim and the burial plot was delinquent. According to their policy, after a period of time, they would remove the temporary marker and a permanent marker could not be placed to until the balance was paid in full. The original balance, with interest, exceeded $5,000. Tamara picked out a marker and set up a payment plan of $50 a month, which was all that she could afford on her fixed income (the Canadian equivilant to Social Security in the U.S.). The manager at Westlawn Gardens of Memory in Clemmons, North Carolina transferred the responsibility of the debt into Tamara's name and said that the marker would not be placed on the grave until the account was paid in full, but they would "try" to keep the temporary marble block with the worn sticker, showing his name, unless they "needed it for someone else".
Periodically, I visit the grave site to make sure that there are flowers and that the block has not been removed. On my last visit, I inquired about the balance, hoping that it was something that I could help with. I was told that since her payment arrangement had been set up in 2012, almost all of it had basically been applied to the interest on this debt that was originally not even her legal responsibility. She voluteered for it to honor her son and to assure that her grandchildren would be able to find their father's burial site if ever they were able to come back to the United States and attempt to.
Tamara now lives in Canada, where she continues to send her $50 per month payment for this burial plot. Due to the currency exchange rates, it is costing her more than $70 per month of her fixed income. To add insult to injury, if she were to pass away before the debt is paid (current payoff is $2,900), then the cemetery will "write it off" and no marker will be placed. I have requested a settlement of this debt for a lesser amount, due to the nature of the situation, but it was refused.
Thank you for helping this precious lady give this final gift to her son! If there were to be any additional monies collected, exceeding the costs of the balance due at the grave site, the funds with go directly toward the credit card balance that she has used to pay the monthly payment since 2012.
James 1:27 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”