‘There’s no respect’: Coldstream widower appalled at treatment of local cemetery’s graves

A Coldstream man whose wife is buried in the local cemetery is appalled at how some of the graves are being treated by work crews.

After Rick Sobon’s wife died on Sept. 10, she was buried in the Coldstream Cemetery.

“That was in her will, and that’s what she wanted, so this is how we ended up here,” Sobon said. “Ever since that happened, it’s just been one thing after another.”

Sobon said district officials lost track of the headstone when it was first delivered to the cemetery.

After it was finally installed, he was shocked to discover its condition when he visited.

“They had stomped all over the gravesite. There was dirt all over the headstone,” he said.

Sobon said he bought and laid new turf and cleaned up the site.

However, during a recent visit, he was devastated to see that the ground over his wife’s grave had been chewed up.

“To me, it looks like a big lawnmower track that just ate it and sunk it in,” he said. “The lawnmower guys think that they’re in the lawnmower rally roaring around in here.”

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“Not only that, look at the (grave) next door. The poor guy next door gets stomped all over,” he said, noting that crews did not rake the site after they were finished working.

Sobon said he tried to call the posted phone number to report the problems at the cemetery.

“The telephone number on the post over here that tells you to get a hold of them is not in service,” he said.

“I have been here lots, almost every day if not every second day, and it is just disgusting,” Sobon said. “There’s no respect for all the people here.”

He wants the site restored to its original condition and a public apology.

The District of Coldstream declined an interview but said it was investigating the situation to get an understanding from crews as to what happened.

Chief administrative officer Trevor Seibel also noted in an email that the district is making a cemetery master plan, and is currently soliciting input from the community.

The website survey indicates the currently developed portion of the cemetery is nearing capacity.

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