A Lafayette family thought they were dealing with a painful but familiar task—laying a loved one to rest, honoring the plan that had been in place for years, and beginning the slow process of grieving together.
Instead, they say they’ve been dropped into a confusing, time-sensitive fight with the very place that was supposed to provide closure, after the city told them their grandfather can’t be buried next to his wife at the Lafayette Cemetery.
FOX31 Denver reporter Vicente Arenas lays out the family’s complaint in blunt terms: they say the plan to have Fred Smith buried beside his late wife, Norma Lee Smith, has been upended, even though arrangements were mapped, approved, and paid for long ago.
A Dying Wish Turns Into A Deadline
Arenas reports the family says they have roughly 20 days to figure out where Fred will be buried, which is the kind of deadline that turns grief into a scramble, with decisions being made under stress instead of peace…