While out on her daily walk on the nature trail, along Riverside Drive, Tuesday morning, something strange caught the eyes of Rhea Brady on the riverbank she has passed so many times.
Brady saw a grave marker resting on the shore among the riprap used to protect the shore from erosion.
“It was really creepy to tell you the truth. I don’t usually spook,” she said.
The tombstone was resting with the writing side up, dedicated to a “Jeannie Taig” who died in July 1940. Brady believes someone must have recently flipped the tombstone rightside up because she hadn’t noticed it before.
She notified the town’s public works department on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning, Brady went for her routine walk and saw the marker in the same place, only now the tombstone was flipped upside down.
“Now that I know about it I’m really upset… If I knew it was my tombstone I sure wouldn’t want it in the rubble. It’s disrespectful. I don’t care what they use there – chunks of concrete, rubble – but not a grave marker,” Brady said.
Director of protective services Greg Peters told inSide Drumheller that the town was aware of the issue and was resolving it.
Town operations manager Kevin Blanchett said it was likely vandals had moved the headstone, and the town would not have used a grave marker as riprap.
