Families say Naples Memorial Garden not being taken care of properly

Families of those buried at Naples Memorial Garden say that crews are focusing on the newer side of the cemetery. This means, weeds have grown up and that’s not what they want to see when they visit their loved ones at the cemetery.

Many feel their family members are being disrespected.

Penny Nicol comes to visit her parents once a month and says this is not how she wants them to be remembered.

“All I asked for them to do is to have my parents’ grave represent their own motto, a life well celebrated and it’s a joke!” Nicol said.

She remembers her parents, James and Margaret Nicol as loving parents. They’re buried in Naples Memorial Garden.

“My mother in 2009 and my father in 2010,” she said.

Lately, though, their final resting place feels like forgotten ground and is now surrounded by patches of dirt and overgrown weeds.

“When the new section that obviously is not sold out looks gorgeous. I’m sure my parents are spinning in their graves,” said Nicol.

They would definitely be “spinning in their graves” if they could see the newer side of the cemetery with the green grass and fresh flowers just feet away.

Helen Fowler lives near the cemetery. “I’ve looked at that because I walk out here every day and it’s brown and it’s unattractive,” Fowler said.

“Collier County it is gorgeous all the way around there. They have property that’s worth millions of dollars and they let it go to hell,” Nicol said.

Penny Nicol’s family paid thousands of dollars to be buried there so, she wants to know why the graves are not being equally maintained.  She’s complained about the conditions for three years but the problem still hasn’t been resolved.

“It was the only cemetery in Naples for years and they pre-payed so it wouldn’t be a burden on their kids,” she said. “And now it’s our burden. Now I’m fighting for my parents.”

WINK News reached out to Naples Memorial Gardens with Nicol’s concerns. They say they are working on a statement.