Ala. man fights to keep wife buried in front yard

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-EXCITE

By JAY REEVES

STEVENSON, Ala. (AP) - James Davis is fighting to keep the remains of his late wife right where he dug her grave: In the front yard of his home, just a few feet from the porch.

Davis said he was only abiding by Patsy Ruth Davis' wishes when he buried her outside their log home in 2009, yet the city sued to move the body elsewhere. A county judge ordered Davis to disinter his wife, but the ruling is on hold as the Alabama Civil Court of Appeals considers his challenge.

Davis, 73, said he never expected such a fight.

"Good Lord, they've raised pigs in their yard, there's horses out the road here in a corral in the city limits, they've got other gravesites here all over the place," said Davis. "And there shouldn't have been a problem."

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20120819/DA0OJ59G0.html

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In this Friday, Aug. 10, 2012 photo, James Davis, 73, stands over the grave of his wife, Patsy, in the front yard of the home they shared in Stevenson, Ala. The city sued to make Davis move his wife's remains from the residential tract, and Davis is asking the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals to block an order requiring him to disinter her remains. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)

[Archae]

1. Who's bitching about the grave being there?

Neighbors?
I don't see any indication of that.

More like some city government guy who owns or gets kickbacks from a local cemetary.

[awoke_in_2003]

14. The mob controls...

most aspects of funeral arrangement. They don't want competition.

[SoapBox]

2. Well...couple of things.

1. Is she sealed in a coffin or vault? Did he get her embalmed?

2. He says that there have been pigs and horses in the yard...BUT...were they buried whole carcass to rot? And same issue with her...is she just rotting in the soil? And what about when he dies or sells of the property?

...I might be concerned about water runoff. And I just think that is creepy.

[hack89]

3. From the link

A mortuary installed a concrete vault, and workers lowered Patsy's body into the plot in a nice, metal casket.

The decision came even though the county health department signed off on the residential burial, saying it wouldn't cause any sanitation problems.

[octothorpe]

5. She was buried a few years ago. How much of her is left anyway?

Wouldn't she be nothing more than bones by now? Also, don't wild animals die and rot outside of coffins all the time? They don't seem to cause too many issues to the environment.

[Major Nikon]

13. I don't think embalming is required anywhere

The only purpose of embalming is just to keep the body preserved for a short period to allow for various funeral rituals. If you bury the body right away, there's really no need for it.

The state of Texas allows you to bury your family members on your own property without any restrictions other than the proper notifications, cause of death determinations, and death certificate requirements. However, different municipalities have their own requirements.

[MgtPA]

4. I don't think he's thought this through...

when he dies, the property will transfer to someone else, and strangers will most likely dig her up.

[octothorpe]

6. If he has family then they will probably get it, no?

[Psephos]

16. What do you think will happen to cemeteries in the future?

Just a longer version of the scenario you described.

Meanwhile, we routinely dig up the boneyards of long-ago people under the rubric of archaeology.

[MgtPA]

17. I really don't care about what happens in the far distant future.

I certainly wouldn't want someone digging up my mother while I'm still alive.

[Psephos]

24. non sequitur

no one mentioned digging up the man's wife while he was still alive

[MgtPA]

25. I didn't mention it either.

I said I didn't want anyone digging up my Mother while I was still alive.

Different generation altogether, and applicable.

[Psephos]

26. category error this time n/t

[MgtPA]

27. What are you talking about?

[appleannie1]

7. Wouldn't that create health issues? And who would buy that property upon his death?

[greiner3]

9. After this publicity;

I would think the property is some necrophiliac's wet dream!

[antigone382]

20. Actually, his five children and fifteen grandchildren are planning to care for it after he dies.

Properly honoring their dead as families have done for generations. There are family plots all over the place there, and it is a part of the culture there. I don't see anything creepy about this situation except for the overblown reactions from a society that doesn't know how to deal with the reality of death anymore.

[antigone382]

19. If the body is buried underground in a sealed concrete vault in a metal coffin

(which this one is), then certainly not. Decomposition is a natural part of life; it's no more dangerous than any other deceased creature decomposing. And it is highly possible that there are plans in place to allow that land to stay in the family for generations after he dies and is buried...hopefully next to his wife.

She felt a powerful connection to her land and wished to be laid to rest there. That our society no longer respects such wishes is to our discredit, and not this man or his late wife.

[petronius]

22. Well said, in both posts... (nt)

[sad sally]

8. An excellent article from Mother Earth News

We’ve Never Regretted a Private Burial

Have you ever looked at a special place and thought, “I’d like to be buried there”? Such a simple wish may not be so simple to fulfill.

By C.J. Jenkins
December 2011/January 2012

snip

“No,” I corrected her. “People in America don’t bury the dead anymore. But that is exactly what millions of other people all around the world do. They bury their dead on their own land, as they have since the dawn of time, without having to go through an industry to do it — and that is what I intend to do.” Thus began my quest to bury my father-in-law on my own property.

The mortician was wrong about everything — at least as it pertained to our situation — but my exchange with him opened my eyes. There are many issues to consider before burying someone on private property, and it is inadvisable to do so entirely on your own. You will find it expedient to involve “the authorities” to some extent, though it is sometimes difficult to limit that extent. The commercial and public entities able to assist do not function as buffets do, allowing you to pick only the services you want



Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-community/private-burial-zm0z11zmat.aspx#ixzz241dFz1Mo

[greiner3]

10. "...they've raised pigs in their yard..."

I'd sure like to have a dead person around, especially after reading about the way it was done, than live around freaking pigs. And I mean TWO AND FOUR legged animals!

[OnyxCollie]

11. Ala. man fights to keep wife buried in front yard

At first I thought she was a zombie who kept rising from the grave.

[Ikonoklast]

15. Thanks for that, I'm glad that I'm not the only sick mind in this thread.

I could just see the guy in his front yard with a shovel in his hand...

"Honey, it's (wap!) for your (WAP!) own good (WAP WAP WAP!) Now, get back in there!"

[Trillo]

12. Guess this Alabama po'guy didn't grease enough palms.

Are bankers getting equivalent government regulation?

[Javaman]

18. I wonder what Garfield and Odie think about this? nt

[davsand]

21. Home burials are allowed in a lot more places than you might think:

http://realestate.msn.com/rest-at-home-forever-home-burials-are-surprisingly-legal

It might be something that was common practice in days gone by, but it sure does fall outside the comfort zones in today's world. Maybe it speaks volumes about my rural life, but the "family plot" is a fairly common thing around here. It's lower cost and frankly speaking, more eco-friendly. The funeral industry in this country has had a long running dictatorship on our funeral customs, and maybe a return to the "old fashioned" ways would improve that situation.

I can't get the article to load on the computer here--so I can't see the whole story--but if I had to guess, I'm betting his big issue is maybe being inside or in proximity to the city limits...


Laura

[Proles]

23. I could see there being some health concerns, but I'd just say

let the body remain there until the man's death, then you could maybe move her body elsewhere.