I am writing to express my dismay over the maintenance of St. Mary’s Cemetery in Bristol. Twice within the past three months, I have traveled from New Hampshire to visit the gravesite of my parents and sister to find the grass unmowed, weeds in abundance and just a general unkempt look. Unfortunately this has become the norm when visiting the cemetery.

My family buried my sister in 1994 and chose this cemetery, not just because we were parishioners of the church, but because my parents wanted her to be close to them. My father would visit the grave faithfully and made sure that the site was cared for. The cemetery staff at that time did the same.

When my father passed in 1999, it was natural for my family to want him to be buried with our sister and we continued caring for the grave and felt the cemetery staff was continuing to do their part. Over the years we have seen the care for the cemetery decline, and since my mother passed in 2014 we have been sadly disappointed with the overall maintenance of this sacred ground.

This is of particular significance to our family now, since we no longer live close by and travel to the cemetery just a few times a year. When we were close by, we took it upon ourselves to care for the grave and the surrounding grounds, to include seeding the site after the death of mom since this had not been done after her funeral.

As I drive/walk through this cemetery, I see the names of many Bristolians that I had the pleasure of knowing through my years at home. Many of these names have left a significant mark on the community as teachers, police officers, firefighters, administrators, etc., but more importantly they were loved family members and friends.

It is a disgrace that there is not more of an effort by the church to care for this site.

I am encouraging every Bristolian who has a loved one buried at St. Mary’s to contact the church and express your dismay for the lack of respect and care that is being given to our loved ones.

Robin Correia-Winslow
New Boston, N.H.