Woman Says Minnesota Church Ruined Family's Gravestone

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A Minnesota woman says a church's mistake has ruined a family gravestone.

JoEllen Kimmel's father was buried in the St. Thomas the Apostle Church graveyard in Hamel. But a new headstone went up, leaving no room for her to see her father's footstone.

"I was looking and looking and looking," Kimmel said. "Then I saw this other stone had been placed so close."

Kimmel's father, Gerald Jones, died when she was eight. He's been buried on the site for 42 years. Kimmel says church officials never reached out to her before the new stone went up.

"If that were your family member, how would you feel?" she said. "It's only a matter of a couple of inches to the base."

No one from the church was available for comment, but the Rev. John Gallas released a statement.

"We are very sorry for any pain this situation has caused," he said in the statement. "When it was brought to our attention, we agreed to move the footstone five feet to accommodate graveside visitors."

"The right thing to do would be to look at the plot map and figure out who needs to be moved, but they won't do that because it's easier to move a footstone," Kimmel said. "This is what I have left, and now, after 42 years, we [have] to move it because it's convenient for them."

Cemetery staff is scheduled to move the footstone Saturday.