Cedar Memorial is well-maintained

Regarding the June 26 letter by Helen Murray 'Loved ones deserve tidy cemetery.”

As a matter of full disclosure, I work at Cedar Memorial, but I'm also an interment rights owner at Cedar.

I'm also the daughter of a beloved mother interred at a cemetery in Iowa City. When my mother passed in 2005, a little grass seed was scattered on her grave; it took more than 2 years for the grass to finally grow.

If we want to see her name on the headstone, our family has to go to the cemetery to trim around it. I consider this a labor of love.

Seeing how other cemeteries are maintained, my husband and I decided to purchase interment rights at Cedar Memorial because of its beauty and because it is by far one of the most beautifully maintained cemeteries in the Midwest. Is it perfect? No, but I've never worked for an organization more passionate about its mission and with a staff who works so hard to please the families they serve.

My husband and I aren't even planning on retiring in Cedar Rapids, but it brings us comfort to know that our remains will be returned to this lovely place.

Julie Freese

Cedar Rapids