SPOKANE, Wash. - It’s been ten months since the family of Lorene McPherson laid her to rest. Lorene’s son and daughter secured her final arrangements just two days after she passed, but the wait for her custom headstone continues.
Lorene’s daughter Sandra Peterson says the months since she lost her mom's passing have been extremely difficult. She misses her so much it hurts.
“She was fabulous,” she said. “I smile so I don’t cry.”
Lorene was 93 years old when she passed away on June 13, 2022. Up until she died, Lorene remained active. She loved flowers, her yard, and most of all, her family.
“She had a loving heart,” Sandra said. “Everyone loved her.”
Immediately after her mother passed, the family was all over final arrangements to honor her.
“My brother and I were right there to make sure everything was done that needed to be done,” she said.
An agreement and receipt reviewed by Nonstop Local show the arrangements made with Pines Cemetery. The family paid a total of $8,851.36. That included the memorial marker, property rights, endowment care and other fees. Records show their balance was zero.
“We settled everything with them on the 15th...she was buried on the 23rd,” Sandra said.
Sandra and her brother carefully picked out their mother’s headstone. They wanted it absolutely perfect for the mother they loved so much.
“Here’s a beautiful picture of it, right here,” she said.
But more than 300 days later, it’s yet to arrive, and answers about why, the family claims, have been difficult to get. They say they have made phone calls and shown up in person. Each time they say they
“It feels horrible,” she said. “I got the runaround.”
Lorene’s gravesite does have a marker that the cemetery did engrave for the family as the wait was dragging on. Sandra says that didn’t occur though until months into the wait in September. She added that the placement of it was bothersome too.
“(The placement stone) is turned where if you're standing at the gravesite, you can not read it because the writing is facing the other direction,” she said.
Sandra reached out to our Help Me Hayley for assistance getting some answers about where the headstone is and when it could arrive. She told Hayley, she just wants to be able to grieve and visit her mother’s final resting place with everything she deserves.
"It would mean everything,” she said.
Hayley reached out to Pines Cemetery Monday morning, and the President of the Memorial Association immediately began digging into the matter to try to get some answers. He said the delay was largely due to supply chain issues, particularly with the specific material chosen by the family.
By Tuesday, he had connected with the out-of-area company handling the actual monument and engraving for Sandra’s order. They told him they can expect it by May 23rd. Hayley also contacted that company, and they told her they are ‘prioritizing the engraving and delivery.’ Sandra said she’s very grateful for a timeline at last.
The president went on to tell Nonstop Local that he hopes this will bring the family some peace in knowing there is an end in sight. He said this situation seems to be an outlier likely due to the color and style of the monument they selected. The family says had they been told their selections would come with an 11-month plus delay, they would have picked something different. They urge other grieving families to ask questions about supply and get timelines in writing, if at all possible.
