Cemetery damaged by strong monsoon storm

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - A Valley cemetery was heavily damaged by the monsoon, and the families who have loved ones buried there want the damage fixed.

The Greenwood Memory Lawn and Mortuary was in the path of last week's monsoon.

The family is upset not about the damage done to their home, but the damage done to a cemetery where their loved ones are buried.

It's a huge property in Central Phoenix near 27th Avenue and Van Buren, and from the looks of things, it was monsoon central.

Sandra Vele went to visit her son and nephews graves at the cemetery and found a tree tipped over, and the headstone was standing up.

Greenwood Cemetery says in fact 37 trees were impacted in last Monday night's storm. The 200-acre cemetery was in an area hit hard by a microburst last week.

Vele says it has been a week since the storm blew through, and it was upsetting to see the cemetery still in such a terrible state.

"Brought me to tears to see all this damage is done, knowing my son was there," she said.

Her son's headstone was not impacted, but she says he has been buried here for 25 years, and she wants it to be a peaceful final resting place.

"I just want everything put the way it was, it doesn't matter if they're not alive, in my eyes they're not resting," said Vele.

Greenwood is owned by a company in Houston Texas; they released the following statement in part, "We have assessed the damage to the park and are working to address the damage and clean up the park. No gravesites have been exposed or compromised. Some headstones and grave markers have shifted as a result of the trees uprooting. Our staff is working to replace all damaged markers as soon as the cleanup is completed."

The company says they have hired an outside crew to deal with the widespread damage that is substantial; they say it is going to take some time to clean up.