Memorial Day weekend wasn’t easy for Eva Rice.

Thursday, June 22, 2000

Memorial Day weekend wasn’t easy for Eva Rice.

She visited the grave of her husband, Gerald, at Woodland Cemetery, leaving a fresh flower memorial.

The following Saturday, the flowers were gone – stolen.

"When I found out those flowers were stolen, I was heartsick," she said. "I had hung a fresh basket of pink impatiens on one of those shepherd’s hooks (above the grave), and now they’re gone."

Mrs. Rice is not the only person who has lost a tribute to a loved one placed at a local cemetery. Thefts from cemeteries are common – and difficult to control, law enforcement officials say.

"We have a problem right now, because we don’t have access to patrol (Woodland) cemetery in squad cars," Detective Capt. Chris Bowman said.

"(Flower thefts) are not abnormal for this time of year and we do increase patrols," he said. "But it’s hard, due to the main bridge on Ninth Street being closed. (Cemeteries) have to lock the gates to keep everybody out and we have no way to get in by vehicle.

Both Woodland and Highland Memorial Gardens cemeteries declined to comment on this issue.

"Officers could patrol on foot, but they could easily miss people in (Woodland Cemetery) at night," Bowman said. "There’s too much access to the cemetery, and there’s really no way to secure such a large area. You could be in (Woodland) cemetery for an hour and not walk every road in that cemetery."

One road in particular runs along the Soldiers’ Plot, dedicated to war veterans, which happens to be where Gerald Rice was laid to rest.

Rice was one of thousands of Americans who fought in the Pacific during World War II to help keep this country free, and yet his grave – a symbol to honor his memory, was dishonored by a thief.

And that is tough for Mrs. Rice to understand.

"He was a good commander – well-liked by everyone," she said.

Rice voluntarily entered the Army in 1939 to serve his country, and fought in New Guinea and the Phillipines, serving as a coxswain on a Landing Craft Infantry (LCI).

Mrs. Rice’s memorial to her husband was not the only decoration removed from a family member’s grave. Flowers placed at the grave of Mrs. Rice’s granddaughter, Kimberly Lynn Rice, also were stolen.

"Those flowers were stolen at least three or four times," Mrs. Rice said.

"I also know of some flowers placed for the Dickess family’s grave that cost about $40 that thieves stripped clean."

Despite these thefts, Mrs. Rice said she will continue to place flowers at her family’s gravesites, and added that Woodland employees have done the best they could in patrolling and preventing these thefts.

"For as many graves that (Woodland Cemetery) has, I think their staff does an awfully good job of policing the cemetery," she said. "The caretakers really try. They keep their employees well-equipped with walkie-talkies."

Anyone caught attempting to steal these flowers should be prosecuted, she added.

And some cemeteries will prosecute – to the fullest extent.

"If anyone in Hanging Rock Cemetery is caught stealing or vandalizing, we will push the fine to the maximum limit," Hamilton Township trustee Bob Blankenship said. "It’s about pure respect, and in my opinion these thieves need (psychiatric) help. To go into a cemetery and do something like that – there’s no cause for it."

Mrs. Rice said anyone contemplating taking flowers from a veteran’s grave should think about the sacrifices made by the man or woman who is buried there.

"By all means, these thieves should recognize – just stand there a minute before stripping (especially) a veteran’s grave site, and relive what those courageous soldiers have endured," she said. "How could a person steal flowers from the dead? How could a thief steal from a man who’s been through all that?

"If it weren’t for these young soldiers (of WWII), by the grace of God, this country might not be here today – or we would possibly be under another rule."