GLENDALE [California] — Lenore Devlin traveled more than 60 miles Sunday to visit the grave of a former student at Grand View Memorial Park.
“There are certain students in your life who just touch your heart,” the Los Angeles Unified teacher said as she arranged flowers for the grave of Ara Azaryan, who died in 2004. He was 23 at the time, she said.
Devlin was one of close to 100 people on Sunday who visited Grand View Memorial Park, which has had limited public access for years after it fell into a state of disrepair.
Sunday marked one of the roughly biweekly, court-ordered public openings for the cemetery, the only time family members can visit loved ones buried there.
Just a few such days remain before the restoration work begins, cutting off public access for up to four months, officials said.
Visitors have been frustrated with the poor state of landscaping at the cemetery and limited access.
…
Earlier this year, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Anthony Mohr approved a $3.8-million settlement in the long-standing class-action lawsuit against the cemetery. The complaint was filed after state investigators in 2005 found the remains of 4,000 people who had not been properly buried or disposed of.
The cemetery was shut down a year later and reopened with a new operator until closing again due to financial struggles.
City officials eventually stepped in and established temporary visits. They also secured a public nuisance abatement order forcing the cemetery’s new operators to clean up the property….
Read the full article in the July 20, 2010 edition of the Glendale News Press.
Thanks to Pat Morrow for the heads-up on this one.
I recently discovered that an ancestor of mine is buried here. I googled to find the contact info…and imagine my surprise when I came across the court records instead. What (allegedly) happened at that place is shocking.
It’s a lot to take on, but I sure hope someone buys it and cleans it up. The people buried there deserve better.