A surprise decision to remove mementos and trinkets from gravesites at the Langley Lawn Cemetery and dump them in a corner is being condemned as disrespectful by families of loved ones interred at the Township cemetery.

Robbie Franks and his wife, Devon Franks, made the discovery when they dropped by the cemetery at 4393 208th St. in Brookswood to visit his younger brother, Richard.

Franks said the family had left mementos on Richard乌鸦传媒檚 gravesite, including some imitation cheeseburgers, Richard乌鸦传媒檚 favourite meal, and a chain with a cross his sister had left.

乌鸦传媒淓verything was taken,乌鸦传媒� Franks said.

He and Devon found some of the items in a pile with mementos from other graves, but the chain and cross are missing.

乌鸦传媒淢y sister is devastated,乌鸦传媒� Franks said.

Franks called it 乌鸦传媒渢he most disrespectful thing I have ever seen in all my 43 years of being alive.乌鸦传媒�

In the seven years that Richard has been interred at Langley Lawn, 乌鸦传媒渘o one has ever touched anything,乌鸦传媒� an angry Franks told Black Press.

He said the action was taken sometime between his previous visit on May 15 and the Friday.

Other families had similar reactions.

When Christina Skingsley saw an online post about the removals, she discovered that everything left on her father乌鸦传媒檚 gravesite was gone, including a heart-shaped ornament she left at Christmas.

乌鸦传媒淚t said he was the best dad ever, and I was glad to have him,乌鸦传媒� Skingsley recalled.

乌鸦传媒淚n 20-plus years (since her father was laid to rest), not once have they ever touched the trinkets we put there. It乌鸦传媒檚 always been the flowers (they remove).乌鸦传媒�

On the day she went, other families were searching through the discarded items, trying to find what was removed, Skingsley said.

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乌鸦传媒淭here were people there, crying, searching, going through the pile,乌鸦传媒� Skingsley said.

Shirley Johannesson, whose father, Herbert Brent, mother Frances Brent, and sister Beverly Wright are at Langley Lawn, called it a 乌鸦传媒減ure violation of our sacred space.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淢y dad has been there for 51 years, and this has never happened,乌鸦传媒� Johannesson told the Langley Advance Times.

乌鸦传媒淲e left some things. They乌鸦传媒檙e all gone. It乌鸦传媒檚 all in a pile.乌鸦传媒�

On Mother乌鸦传媒檚 Day, all of the mementos on her family members gravesites were still in place, Johannesson said.

乌鸦传媒淚f we had known that the Township had decided to discard them like garbage, we could have brought them home that day and kept them safe,乌鸦传媒� Johannesson said.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 just so sad and heart breaking.乌鸦传媒�

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In fact, family mementos have been removed from all three cemeteries operated by the Township 乌鸦传媒� Langley Lawn, Murrayville and Fort Langley 乌鸦传媒� according to an unsigned statement issued in response to a Black Press query.

It said 乌鸦传媒渁 significant number of flowers, adornments, and decorations had accumulated over time, including several broken or deteriorated items, posing an increasingly challenging and unsafe condition for maintenance staff and the public.乌鸦传媒�

Notices of the impending removal were put up at cemetery entrances and online, the statement claimed, and promised that staff were 乌鸦传媒渃ommitted to the provision of additional, more detailed information, in advance of any future necessary removals.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淲hen I go to pay my respects, I乌鸦传媒檓 not looking for signs,乌鸦传媒� Franks said.