WALKERTOWN, N.C. — About every week or two Ann Barrett makes the short drive to Walkertown to visit the cemetery and spend time with her parents. Her mom and dad are both in the mausoleum on the grounds.
“I miss them,” Barrett said.
While she misses them, she admits the visits are tough. Her mom passed away several years ago but her dad just died last year. Going to the mausoleum to spend time with them is still tough for Barrett.
“It’s not a pleasant place to be,” she said.
Making matters worse is the condition of the mausoleum. Barrett tells News 2 the mausoleum is dirty and there are cobwebs all over the inside and outside. When we went to see for ourselves, we did see several cobwebs and there were several dead bugs on the carpet inside.
The windows were dirty, and the carpet needed cleaning. Barrett complained of a horrible smell inside the mausoleum that was so bad she opens doors on both ends to create a draft to allow her to stay inside while she visits.
“Most of the time my husband starts gagging if he comes in,” she said.
The smell is believed to be in part because of water that has seeped into the mausoleum and soaked the carpet. Barrett said the warmer the day the worse the smell is.
“I think it smells like something decaying, like an animal on the side of the road,” she said.
Lysol and bug spray are inside the mausoleum for people to use while visiting. There is also a vacuum cleaning if the dead bugs start to pile up in spots.
“If this was their family is this what they would want to be presented with,” Barrett said.
She said she has called the cemetery and left messages for the director but did not hear back. Barrett sent us an email and asked if we could make some calls to see if anything could be done.
“I’ve seen (News 2) stories before so I decided to contact you,” she said.
A couple of days later we spoke with the directory at the cemetery who promised us he would investigate the matter and get back to us. A few days later he called and told us the cemetery would send a professional carpet cleaning crew out and his staff would clean the windows and remove all cobwebs and dead bugs.
“The bugs, cobwebs, the glass all the bird poop everything was gone, yeah it was cleaner,” Barrett said.
Depending on the day Barrett said there is sometimes a smell, but it is not nearly as bad as it was. The general upkeep makes what is a difficult visit a little easier for Barrett when she goes to spend time with her mom and dad.
“Thank you,” she said.
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