Officials working at graveyard in Cincinnati were shocked one morning when they were made aware of a new gravestone that was placed in the yard – a 7-foot cement statue of Spongebob Squarepants. The gravestone of Iraq War Veteran, Kimberley Walker, was carved to look like a massive Spongebob wearing an army uniform with her name and rank on it. Spongebob was her favourite cartoon, you see.  But now officials are to inform her family of their intention to remove it – and they ain’t happy.

Despite the fact that the family of the deceased had gotten prior approval for the gravestone to be erected, the graveyard managers are insisting that it be taken down. They’re even going so far as to reimburse the family for the gravestone (R250,000), just so that they can keep the oversized sea-creature as far away from the cemetery as possible. Because the cemetery is supposed to have a “traditional, stately appearance”, the guys in charge have decided they simply won’t have it. Cemetery president, Gary Freytag said:

We’ve decided that it isn’t  appropriate for our historic cemetery and it can’t be displayed here.

He added that the employee who allowed for this to happen had made a grave error (little cemetery joke there), and was going to be sacked soon.

The family were, understandably, quite outraged at the announcement that the stone would be removed. Kara Walker, the sister of the deceased said:

My sister served our country and most people try to accommodate veterans and try to take care of them. For them not to accommodate and respect what my sister sacrificed, not only for my family, but for everyone else in this country, really bothers me.

It’s a sad story indeed, but it does raise important questions. Can we have happy gravestones? Or do they all have to be morbid-looking slabs of granite that only serve to remind us of the futility of life?

[Source : Politico]