Man Buries Wife In Front Yard ~
Image Credit: Associated Press
James Davis of Alabama buried his wife in his front yard when she died in 2009. He did not kill her. She died of natural causes. I wanted to make that clear before I tell you the rest of the story. The problem is that, although the State Health Department said that her burial there posed no danger, the City Council has now decided it is their authority to tell the man he can’t leave her buried there.
Image Credit: Associated Press
A judge ordered him to disinter his wife and move her body to a cemetary, but the case is now at the Supreme Court. Apparently family burial plots are common in Alabama, but the city where Davis lives thinks they should decide where his wife is buried. The city states that it biggest worries are complaints from neighbors, appearance and property values with the city attorney stating, “We are not in the 1800s anymore.”
Davis applied for a cemetary permit {remember that the Health Department said this posed no sanitation problems} so he and a son-in-law dug the grave and a mortuary installed a concrete vault. She was buried in a metal casket.
Thoughts…
Creepiness aside, I am not seeing what the problem is here. If it is safe, and there is no chance of a health problem for my family, I really don’t give much of a flip what people do on their own land. What exactly do we own if we have to not only pay taxes on something we *own* for the rest of our lives, but we also have to get every neighbor’s permission and go to the City Council and get their’s and then get a petition signed by 76 people and their dog and then go pay some sort of fee……
Personally, I would much rather have a man for a neighbor who cared enough to do what he thought was right and preserve his wife’s final wish the best way he could than to have a bunch of hooty falooty politician wannabes next door who spend all day watching out their windows to see who they can turn in for something. What do you think?
Ifully support this man, and think he has the right to bury her on their property. As long as she is buried properly it shouldn’t matter that it is in their yard. Back then people always did this, and it was the norm!
My husband was telling me about this story yesterday. I think it is ridiculous for them try to tell him that he can’t do this, when it sounds like he got all the proper approvals and permits.
I saw this headline the other day. Leave the poor guy alone. 🙁 It looks like he did everything the right way with getting the permit and everything!
Every day there is more and more intrusion from government entities (often spurred on by nosy neighbors) into what people do on their own property. Other current cases would be the man going to jail in Arizona for having a Bible study and the woman in Virginia in trouble for having a birthday party.
When, oh when, are people going to take back…or at the very least stop the erosion…of guaranteed personal freedoms in this country? Seriously is enough to make me weep.
I haven’t heard of these two stories {and I will try to look them up later}. Just hearing about them though from your description, they sound ridiculous.
Dawn
Bible Study: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/05/arizona-man-sent-to-jail-for-holding-bible-studies-in-his-home/
Virginia story: http://reason.com/blog/2012/08/13/virginia-farmer-party-tomatoes-fined
Wow! Thanks for finding these for me! You are too cool!
Dawn
You are very welcome and thank you for the nice compliment. 🙂
Um, I”m not sure I would want his as a neighbor but I can understand the desire to keep her close. If it’s not hurting anything, I don’t see the problem.
I can honestly see both sides of this issue. This is a tough one!
I, for one, couldn’t care less what this man does! His land, his decision. People should stop trying to have everything revolve around their own beliefs, and don’t get me started on political correctness!
I, unfortunately, have that kind of neighbor you mentioned! :S We bough a fire pit a few weeks back and the neighbor complained about it. Yes it is a fire hazard so we decided not to use it as a fir pit but turn it into a table (we’ve been wanting a fire pit for a while). Now the same guy is complaining that the fire pit is still there…and that being used as a table MAY cause gathering which MAY cause noise…so he complains about anything but he can think of, but he freely walks into our yard (which is the only yard not fenced in the community) and look into our windows?! Some times I want to start my own town…
Oh my gosh. My neighbors are pretty cool and never both us. I hope they never move. I thank God that I don’t live in a development that has a Home Owners Association. Incidentally, we have a fire pit coming this week. I don’t think my neighbor will care in the least. 🙂
Sorry about yours.
Dawn
I see absolutely nothing wrong with a person burying their spouse on THEIR property. Especially if they own it outright. As long as the person is abiding by all current laws there should be no issue.
If I were thinking about buying the property from him someday down the road, and found out that there was a body (recently) buried there, I would run like the wind. Yes, it’s his own land but it totally creeps me out.