Garden Hill Cemetery 1218 Frederick Road, Opelika, AL 36801

"Am appalled that flowers are removed from graves after a short period."

"BELOW ARE FACTS OF ABUSIVE TREATMT,BULLYING BY CEMETERY SUPERINT, PERCY MARKS.AND CITY OPE ESG DIRECTOR, MIKE HILYER, RUDE, INCOMPETENT.THIS WENT ON FOR FULL YEAR- VETERANS DAY ‘20 -VET DAY‘21. SEPT 2021-NOV 2021: MIKE HILYER LIED TO ME FOR THREE MOS.WHILE THEY BROKE THE LAW, TRAMPLED MY FIRST AMENDMT RIGHTS, BREACHED THE BURIAL CONTRACT WITH THE CITY, STOLE MY PERSONAL PROPERTY FIVE TIMES -BROUGHT OPD TO FALSELY ARREST ME A 68 YR SINGLE MEDICALLY DISABLED CITIZEN-FOR MY RIGHT TO CLAIM MY PARENTS’ REMAINS. ASKED HILYER, OPD AND MARKS FOR INSTRUCTIONS TO FORMALLY REMOVE REMAINS. THEY ALL LIED- SENT ME ON A GOOSE CHASE THAT LASTED THREE HOURS TODAY NOVEMBER 16, 2021!! They SENT me to the public health dept.to get forms that they supply at the cemetery to retrieve your family members remains. They are supposed to send the forms from the health department to the state office in Montgomery. They are not supposed to require the deceased family member family to do all of the legwork for them. The state public health department told me they have never seen anything so bizarre! After three hours of The city of Opelika giving me a full runaround, wasting my gas and my time having told me my parents would be released to me at 830AM this morning, it was 11:30am before they began to dig. By 12:15 we had brought my parents up. This abuse and discrimination and treatment has cost me thousands of dollars. 850 for my mothers granite memorial marker, $750 to the city of Opelika for the lease space that they call a life long lease for your families remains, and $500 to remove them, Today not to mention gas at $3/gal to do all the running around doing THEIR JOB AND paperwork that I was wrongly FORCED TO DO. DO NOT BURY YOUR LOVED ONES HERE!!!! Nov, 2020—NOV 2021: A 2-3 week period last month October 2020, weeds were foot tall around grave sites. I Had to ask groundkeeper to cut around my parents’ markers. I put two small 10” American flags with 3 small red white & blue Silk flowers inside our purchased brass ground vase. My father served in the Navy snd we had not only voting elections but Veterans Day that week. I came by in a week to find the groundkeeper had taken my flags out and in process tore the flower off the stem- I found it on the ground a few sites away. I registered a complaint and filed report with local PD for stolen property and was told by local muni court staff and Jeff Tickal atty that I had no case and that American flags are prohibited. I was shocked, upset to tears that I could not represent my parents the way they deserve when and how I want. I signed no contract that I agree to not have the symbol of our national freedom on their graves. The whole arrangement I made was no more than 10-11” high and 9-10” across in the cup. Not encroaching on anyone or anything; it was tasteful and appropriate. Meanwhile they left dozens of exact American flags on other grave sites. See photos below. Mine are the first two pics. Note number of others not discarded. I want everyone to know the censoring and disrespect taking place at Garden Hills and that the city of Opelika AL is supporting a previously convicted sex offender as groundkeeper. How many bereaving families must come in contact IN PRIVATE WITH CHILDREN in the office of a person with a history of child molestation and other charges. Unbelievable? I thought so too— look it up on Internet. The court records are all available Online. Disgusting-degrading to our deceased. Ope. residents of thirty And forty years or more told me After I buried my parents’’ remains there about the criminal groundskeeper. I tried to get a refund in 2013 and move my parents elsewhere, when I learned who I would be forced to deal with and come in contact with, and was rudely told by the same man NO REFUNDS. Shocked that this has gone on here for so many years and city staff just ‘assuming’ there is no risk and that this is business as usual. Disgusting repulsive and outrageous—and then to deprive me of a citizens right to bear our flag. Insult on top of injury."

"I love this place , because this is were I go when it seems there's no where else to turn"

"Visiting my parents..."

"Grounds are well maintained with really nice landscaping. There are benches with a marble Sundial. Very quiet setting. Staff was kind, did everything as we were told it would be."