Graceless in Oregon City's cemetery

Last month, I was with a remarkable family as they said goodbye to their cherished mother and grandmother, a woman who had given and received great love. Church services were thoughtful and warm, the motorcade from Sellwood to Oregon City ushered smoothly by police.

Before the casket was lowered into the ground at Mt. View Cemetery, it was odd how the funeral director went to great pains to state, more than once, that services were over. That his responsibility was over. Family may stay, but he would not. He had nothing to do with anything that came next.

It didn't take long to figure it out.

Apparently concrete vaults are now required now to hold a coffin before it goes in the ground. These vaults are heavy. This vault was suspended by rods that extended from one side of the burial pit to the other. After the funeral director left, an Oregon City crew standing 40 yards away with a back hoe came forward without much organization.

With the casket in the vault, there was only one winch strap to lower the vault into the ground. Which meant rather than lower the vault evenly, they had to drop one end in first. As the first end went to the bottom of the hole, gallons of water gushed out of the vault into the grave. It had been raining and the vault had accumulated water. Then we heard everything inside the vault slide to one end as the box poked out of the ground at an angle.

The workers struggled to move the strap from one end of the vault to the other. The unfamiliar winch jammed. Putting the lid on the vault was nearly as awkward, the chain holding the lid too short to allow adequate movement.

As they struggled, workers walked on top of grave stones with absolutely no thought that this showed disrespect and with total disregard for the damage mud encrusted boots might do to the marble. It was if the crew was laying water pipe.

There were still more than 30 people present. The man on the back hoe offered us the opportunity to use the shovel stuck in a pile of dirt to put our symbolic closure to the grave, which a number of us were waiting to do. After that, we filed back to our vehicles and departed, leaving them to their work of filling the grave.

While it is tempting to blame workers for this farce, it is not their fault. These men were working within the expectations of those who employ them and the limitations of their equipment. But not only was the burial insensitive, it put civil incompetence on display for all to see. Workers were willing, but their work was poorly guided and unpracticed.

This desecration belongs to the cemetery manager of Oregon City, who has either never been to one of these services or has no concept of how internment should be handled. Depending on the job description and expectations of the city council, that individual should be fired, transferred to another department, at the very least relieved of all duties relating to burials.

Here's a short list of recommendations.

There needs to be an immediate upgrade to training and adequate equipment on site and used at every burial. There should be a plan in place prior to the actual burial of who will be where and doing what, and some practice for those involved.

If possible, vaults should be in the ground before the casket and mourners arrive on site. Vaults should be covered with a tarp prior to use, water not allowed to accumulate. A lowering device should be available to allow pall bearers or trained personnel to lower the casket into the vault.

At a minimum, the vault should be gently and evenly lowered into the ground. The lid, closure if you will, should be placed smoothly. It should be anticipated that mourners will want to place dirt.

Employees should be instructed to walk around, not on grave stones.

If Oregon City cannot afford to show some decency at this moment, they should develop standards and put the work out to bid.