Published: July 23, 2008 08:11 pm            

PENDLETON: Cemeteries deal with thefts of metal vases, plaques

There’s no marker at the spot where Evelyn Krehan’s brother is buried.

When Klaus Walther, a U.S. Navy veteran, died last fall, Krehan expected to have his grave, which is next to the graves of both their parents, marked with the bronze plaque provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“I said, ‘If they’re going to do the military plaque, there’s no reason to carve up my parents’ stone,’ ” she said.

She said the plaque was received by the cemetery in the fall and was meant to be placed in the spring, but it never made it to the ground.

The bronze marker, which according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs weighs about 18 pounds, was stolen and may have been sold for scrap.

Two Town of Tonawanda men were charged last month in connection with thefts of metal vases at Elmlawn and Mount Olivet cemeteries in that town. Robert Samson, 52, of Sheridan-Parkside Drive, and James Howard, 47, of Pyle Court.

The men are also suspected in the thefts of vases from Acacia Park and Forest Lawn cemeteries. Cemetery employee Patty Young said hundreds of vases were stolen from Acacia Park.

Young described the thefts as a “planned venture.”

“It wasn’t like they just drove in and took a few,” she said. “It’s really sad because they hit all these cemeteries. ... We were glad they were caught.”

Niagara County Sheriff’s Deputy Brett Thompson said thefts from cemeteries aren’t very common, but the rising prices of scrap metal can lead people to steal anything made of metal.

“It’s made of bronze, and bronze is worth a lot of money,” he said. “That could become a problem.”

As a result of the thefts, area cemeteries have come together in an effort to replace the stolen vases and plaques.

“We are putting together a plan,” Young said.

The New York State Cemetery Board has a special vandalism fund, which acts as an insurance policy for cemeteries, Young said.

Krehan said she hopes other people will check their loved ones’ graves to make sure nothing has been stolen from them.

“I bet they’re going to have a heart attack, like I almost had, when they come thinking they’re going to find a bronze military plaque honoring their loved one, and there’s nothing but a bare plot of grass,” she said. “I’d like to save somebody some heartache.”

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.