It is sad on Memorial Day to have to decorate a Veteran Grave, and the graves of family members who have gone before.  Each year for at least the last 30 years,  the Middletown Memorial Day Association has been at Woodside Cemetery on the Saturday and Sunday before Memorial Day to pass out flags and standards that hold the American Flags to family members to allow them to place these on the graves of the Veterans. 

Each year the Middletown Memorial Day Association would purchase new flags and standards for this purpose.  This year the Middletown Memorial Day Association made the decision not to use the metal markers in Woodside Cemetery or in Middletown Cemetery.  We had complaints from those who pick up a flag and standard every year, and  when it was explained why we were not using them, more and more people understood our decision.

The theft of many markers from Woodside Cemetery last year helped us to make our decision.  Some were found at the scrap yard, and others found in someone’s front yard.  People would take them home and not think that the markers were the property of the Middletown Memorial Day Association and that they were actually stealing these, even if they were to bring them back the next year to reuse,  theft is theft.  If someone scraps these markers they can only get less than fifty cents for them, and when we purchase them we are paying  twelve to fifteen dollars each. This is another reason for us not to purchase anymore or use them again.

We are looking to find a Cemetery that would purchase these markers to use in their cemetery for Memorial Day or Veterans Day.  If we cannot sell them to a Cemetery, then we will in the future be selling these markers to individuals with the understanding that if someone purchases  one, they are totally responsible for picking these up from whichever cemetery they place them in before thecemetery crew starts their cleanup the first week of June. If the markers are there when they start their cleanup,  they will not be left on the grave and the cemeteries  have  the right to dispose of them.  The markers pose a risk to the crews that mow the grass in the cemeteries each year.  We hope that everyone will understand our decision on this, it was a tough one to make , but we feel it was necessary.

If you have questions and or comments please call 513-423-6017 or email da120757@yahoo.com

Thank you

Deb Morrison

 Middletown Memorial Day Association