Robert "Bob" E. Golightly b. 04 DEC 1914 Clyde, Callahan Co., TX; d. 18 APR 1979 Dallas, Dallas Co., TX; m. [date unknown] TX; divorcée/widow Jerre Ellen (nee Widner) Coomer b. 13 SEP 1919 Springfield, Greene Co., MO; d. 05 FEB 1997 McAllen, Hidalgo Co., TX. Both buried: Laurel Land Memorial Park, Fort Worth, Tarrant Co., TX.
WIDNER FAMILY MEMORIAL MAUSOLEUM:
CRUMBLING MAUSOLEUM CONTAINING FORMER LAUREL LAND OWNERS TO BE DISMANTLED
SOURCE: "Fort Worth Star-Telegram" by Max b. Baker [email protected] Updated February 17, 2017 04:54 PM
Laurel Land Memorial Park in South Fort Worth is asking a State Court to allow it to move the remains of the Widner family, which founded Laurel Land, from this mausoleum because it is structurally unsound. Rodger Mallison [email protected]
FORT WORTH
When Earl Widner bought what became Laurel Land Memorial Park in the early 1940s, he set aside land for a mausoleum for himself, his wife and other family members at the entrance of the now 150-acre cemetery.
Widner even established a foundation to pay for the mausoleum’s maintenance and upkeep over the years. In the late 1960s, the Widners built a memorial museum that included the mausoleum that served as a monument to the family and their descendants.
But as time crept on, the foundation’s cash dwindled and the mausoleum crumbled. Several years ago its roof was compromised, causing significant interior water damage. Now, there is black mold inside, the utilities have been shut off and the exposed asbestos has become a health hazard.
So earlier this month, the current owners of the cemetery, along with some surviving members of the Widner family, went to court to dismantle the mausoleum and move the remains of Earl; his wife, Lelah; and four others to crypts at the back of the cemetery’s property, records state.
“It would cost $100,000 to deal with the asbestos alone,” said Jerry Roberts, Earl and Lelah Widners’ grandson and trustee of the family foundation, which he said has very little money. “It’s nothing. It has two numbers and it wouldn’t even begin to take care of it. ... It is in total disrepair.”
Laurel Land Funeral Home and Cemetery declined to comment specifically on moving the remains.
“As part of our commitment to all of our client families, we guard their privacy and because of this, we do not discuss specific client concerns with the media,” according to a statement.
The Widner family sold the cemetery, which became a local landmark, in 1986 to Stewart Enterprises. It is now owned by an affiliate of Service Corporation International, S.E. Cemeteries, according to Roberts, court records and the funeral home’s website.
The original cemetery, called Park Lawn, was only 25 acres and opened in the early 1920s.
Roberts and S.E. Cemeteries filed the documents in Tarrant County civil court to seek permission to disinter and relocate the remains. Roberts is the living relative of three of the descendants in the mausoleum and the cemetery has received permission from several other family members.
Besides Earl and Lelah Widner, the remains of William E. Widner, Jerre Ellen Golightly, Robert Golightly and Nikki Coomer are contained in the mausoleum. But since the foundation and the cemetery were unable to contact all of the next of kin, the foundation and the cemetery had to go to court.
“We’ve known about (the problems with the mausoleum) for years. The cemetery and I have talked about this and finally came to a resolution,” said Roberts, who once worked there. “Something needs to done.”
Max B. Baker: 817-390-7714, @MaxbakerBB
Owners of Laurel Land Memorial Park say the Widner family mausoleum at the cemetery has fallen into disrepair and should be dismantled. The mausoleum contains the remains of the cemetery’s founder, Earl Widner.
RODGER MALLISON [email protected]
WIDNER FAMILY MEMORIAL MAUSOLEUM:
CRUMBLING MAUSOLEUM CONTAINING FORMER LAUREL LAND OWNERS TO BE DISMANTLED
SOURCE: "Fort Worth Star-Telegram" by Max b. Baker [email protected] Updated February 17, 2017 04:54 PM
Laurel Land Memorial Park in South Fort Worth is asking a State Court to allow it to move the remains of the Widner family, which founded Laurel Land, from this mausoleum because it is structurally unsound. Rodger Mallison [email protected]
FORT WORTH
When Earl Widner bought what became Laurel Land Memorial Park in the early 1940s, he set aside land for a mausoleum for himself, his wife and other family members at the entrance of the now 150-acre cemetery.
Widner even established a foundation to pay for the mausoleum’s maintenance and upkeep over the years. In the late 1960s, the Widners built a memorial museum that included the mausoleum that served as a monument to the family and their descendants.
But as time crept on, the foundation’s cash dwindled and the mausoleum crumbled. Several years ago its roof was compromised, causing significant interior water damage. Now, there is black mold inside, the utilities have been shut off and the exposed asbestos has become a health hazard.
So earlier this month, the current owners of the cemetery, along with some surviving members of the Widner family, went to court to dismantle the mausoleum and move the remains of Earl; his wife, Lelah; and four others to crypts at the back of the cemetery’s property, records state.
“It would cost $100,000 to deal with the asbestos alone,” said Jerry Roberts, Earl and Lelah Widners’ grandson and trustee of the family foundation, which he said has very little money. “It’s nothing. It has two numbers and it wouldn’t even begin to take care of it. ... It is in total disrepair.”
Laurel Land Funeral Home and Cemetery declined to comment specifically on moving the remains.
“As part of our commitment to all of our client families, we guard their privacy and because of this, we do not discuss specific client concerns with the media,” according to a statement.
The Widner family sold the cemetery, which became a local landmark, in 1986 to Stewart Enterprises. It is now owned by an affiliate of Service Corporation International, S.E. Cemeteries, according to Roberts, court records and the funeral home’s website.
The original cemetery, called Park Lawn, was only 25 acres and opened in the early 1920s.
Roberts and S.E. Cemeteries filed the documents in Tarrant County civil court to seek permission to disinter and relocate the remains. Roberts is the living relative of three of the descendants in the mausoleum and the cemetery has received permission from several other family members.
Besides Earl and Lelah Widner, the remains of William E. Widner, Jerre Ellen Golightly, Robert Golightly and Nikki Coomer are contained in the mausoleum. But since the foundation and the cemetery were unable to contact all of the next of kin, the foundation and the cemetery had to go to court.
“We’ve known about (the problems with the mausoleum) for years. The cemetery and I have talked about this and finally came to a resolution,” said Roberts, who once worked there. “Something needs to done.”
Max B. Baker: 817-390-7714, @MaxbakerBB
Owners of Laurel Land Memorial Park say the Widner family mausoleum at the cemetery has fallen into disrepair and should be dismantled. The mausoleum contains the remains of the cemetery’s founder, Earl Widner.
RODGER MALLISON [email protected]
Robert "Bob" E. Golightly b. 04 DEC 1914 Clyde, Callahan Co., TX; d. 18 APR 1979 Dallas, Dallas Co., TX; m. [date unknown] TX; divorcée/widow Jerre Ellen (nee Widner) Coomer b. 13 SEP 1919 Springfield, Greene Co., MO; d. 05 FEB 1997 McAllen, Hidalgo Co., TX. Both buried: Laurel Land Memorial Park, Fort Worth, Tarrant Co., TX.
WIDNER FAMILY MEMORIAL MAUSOLEUM:
CRUMBLING MAUSOLEUM CONTAINING FORMER LAUREL LAND OWNERS TO BE DISMANTLED
SOURCE: "Fort Worth Star-Telegram" by Max b. Baker [email protected] Updated February 17, 2017 04:54 PM
Laurel Land Memorial Park in South Fort Worth is asking a State Court to allow it to move the remains of the Widner family, which founded Laurel Land, from this mausoleum because it is structurally unsound. Rodger Mallison [email protected]
FORT WORTH
When Earl Widner bought what became Laurel Land Memorial Park in the early 1940s, he set aside land for a mausoleum for himself, his wife and other family members at the entrance of the now 150-acre cemetery.
Widner even established a foundation to pay for the mausoleum’s maintenance and upkeep over the years. In the late 1960s, the Widners built a memorial museum that included the mausoleum that served as a monument to the family and their descendants.
But as time crept on, the foundation’s cash dwindled and the mausoleum crumbled. Several years ago its roof was compromised, causing significant interior water damage. Now, there is black mold inside, the utilities have been shut off and the exposed asbestos has become a health hazard.
So earlier this month, the current owners of the cemetery, along with some surviving members of the Widner family, went to court to dismantle the mausoleum and move the remains of Earl; his wife, Lelah; and four others to crypts at the back of the cemetery’s property, records state.
“It would cost $100,000 to deal with the asbestos alone,” said Jerry Roberts, Earl and Lelah Widners’ grandson and trustee of the family foundation, which he said has very little money. “It’s nothing. It has two numbers and it wouldn’t even begin to take care of it. ... It is in total disrepair.”
Laurel Land Funeral Home and Cemetery declined to comment specifically on moving the remains.
“As part of our commitment to all of our client families, we guard their privacy and because of this, we do not discuss specific client concerns with the media,” according to a statement.
The Widner family sold the cemetery, which became a local landmark, in 1986 to Stewart Enterprises. It is now owned by an affiliate of Service Corporation International, S.E. Cemeteries, according to Roberts, court records and the funeral home’s website.
The original cemetery, called Park Lawn, was only 25 acres and opened in the early 1920s.
Roberts and S.E. Cemeteries filed the documents in Tarrant County civil court to seek permission to disinter and relocate the remains. Roberts is the living relative of three of the descendants in the mausoleum and the cemetery has received permission from several other family members.
Besides Earl and Lelah Widner, the remains of William E. Widner, Jerre Ellen Golightly, Robert Golightly and Nikki Coomer are contained in the mausoleum. But since the foundation and the cemetery were unable to contact all of the next of kin, the foundation and the cemetery had to go to court.
“We’ve known about (the problems with the mausoleum) for years. The cemetery and I have talked about this and finally came to a resolution,” said Roberts, who once worked there. “Something needs to done.”
Max B. Baker: 817-390-7714, @MaxbakerBB
Owners of Laurel Land Memorial Park say the Widner family mausoleum at the cemetery has fallen into disrepair and should be dismantled. The mausoleum contains the remains of the cemetery’s founder, Earl Widner.
RODGER MALLISON [email protected]
WIDNER FAMILY MEMORIAL MAUSOLEUM:
CRUMBLING MAUSOLEUM CONTAINING FORMER LAUREL LAND OWNERS TO BE DISMANTLED
SOURCE: "Fort Worth Star-Telegram" by Max b. Baker [email protected] Updated February 17, 2017 04:54 PM
Laurel Land Memorial Park in South Fort Worth is asking a State Court to allow it to move the remains of the Widner family, which founded Laurel Land, from this mausoleum because it is structurally unsound. Rodger Mallison [email protected]
FORT WORTH
When Earl Widner bought what became Laurel Land Memorial Park in the early 1940s, he set aside land for a mausoleum for himself, his wife and other family members at the entrance of the now 150-acre cemetery.
Widner even established a foundation to pay for the mausoleum’s maintenance and upkeep over the years. In the late 1960s, the Widners built a memorial museum that included the mausoleum that served as a monument to the family and their descendants.
But as time crept on, the foundation’s cash dwindled and the mausoleum crumbled. Several years ago its roof was compromised, causing significant interior water damage. Now, there is black mold inside, the utilities have been shut off and the exposed asbestos has become a health hazard.
So earlier this month, the current owners of the cemetery, along with some surviving members of the Widner family, went to court to dismantle the mausoleum and move the remains of Earl; his wife, Lelah; and four others to crypts at the back of the cemetery’s property, records state.
“It would cost $100,000 to deal with the asbestos alone,” said Jerry Roberts, Earl and Lelah Widners’ grandson and trustee of the family foundation, which he said has very little money. “It’s nothing. It has two numbers and it wouldn’t even begin to take care of it. ... It is in total disrepair.”
Laurel Land Funeral Home and Cemetery declined to comment specifically on moving the remains.
“As part of our commitment to all of our client families, we guard their privacy and because of this, we do not discuss specific client concerns with the media,” according to a statement.
The Widner family sold the cemetery, which became a local landmark, in 1986 to Stewart Enterprises. It is now owned by an affiliate of Service Corporation International, S.E. Cemeteries, according to Roberts, court records and the funeral home’s website.
The original cemetery, called Park Lawn, was only 25 acres and opened in the early 1920s.
Roberts and S.E. Cemeteries filed the documents in Tarrant County civil court to seek permission to disinter and relocate the remains. Roberts is the living relative of three of the descendants in the mausoleum and the cemetery has received permission from several other family members.
Besides Earl and Lelah Widner, the remains of William E. Widner, Jerre Ellen Golightly, Robert Golightly and Nikki Coomer are contained in the mausoleum. But since the foundation and the cemetery were unable to contact all of the next of kin, the foundation and the cemetery had to go to court.
“We’ve known about (the problems with the mausoleum) for years. The cemetery and I have talked about this and finally came to a resolution,” said Roberts, who once worked there. “Something needs to done.”
Max B. Baker: 817-390-7714, @MaxbakerBB
Owners of Laurel Land Memorial Park say the Widner family mausoleum at the cemetery has fallen into disrepair and should be dismantled. The mausoleum contains the remains of the cemetery’s founder, Earl Widner.
RODGER MALLISON [email protected]
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