‘It’s important to me that it stays’: Killeen City Cemetery to take down gravesite decorations in new cleanup initiative

KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) - Killeen City Cemetery staff will now clear gravesite decorations, including flowers, flags and pictures, four times a year.

In an announcement on Sept. 18 (re-uploaded to the city of Killeen's website on Oct. 15), the city of Killeen unveiled its plans to restore gravesites at the cemetery beginning Oct. 21.

Killeen's director of communications, Janell Ford, said residents have been complaining about the tidiness of the cemetery.

"It's things that have deteriorated," Ford said. "It is not pleasing to look at. There are segments of the cemetery that don't look good when you have all these personal items that are still there that are left there."

Ford said cemetery service companies also brought to the city. They claim to be unable to move their digging equipment through the cemetery to dig additional plots.

Ford said the surplus of complaints sparked the idea for the city to change cemetery policy.

Both of Penny Morgan's parents are buried at the city cemetery. She said she was outraged when she realized the gravesite plot she's maintained for years would be taken down.

Morgan installed a granite rock bed in front of her parents' gravesite. She said the decorations were to honor her German mother. She said decorating and maintaining gravesite decorations is a part of German culture.

"It's just very important that it stays. And that my parents' final resting place is not desecrated," Killeen resident Morgan said.

She said her parents purchased the plot in the Killeen City Cemetery in 1998.

Ford said that while removing well-maintained decorations will be unfortunate, the city has to apply the same rules to all plots.

"It has to be a one-size-fits-all type of rule," Ford said. "We can't say 'Okay well, you two people are great, leave your stuff there.' The rules are made for a reason."

Morgan said she maintains her plot weekly and will be devastated to see her decorations removed.

"My dad and mom deserve to rest in peace," Morgan said. "And not have to worry that there's a bulldozer that's gonna be coming over their bodies."

Cleanup will be on Mondays in the third week of January, April, July, and October every year.