Cemetery plots: Internment Rights or Deed?

It could make a huge difference when it is time to bury a loved one.

When the call first came, I ignored it since I didn’t recognize the name or out-of-state number. However, an hour or so later when I saw the name again, I picked it up.

It was a call I had been awaiting for several months.

My mother had two cemetery plots to sell, and was quite eager to hear if we had any bites, even though the listing broker warned that it could be many months or even years.

The caller was interested in immediate purchase of both plots. Unfortunately, a young man had died suddenly, far ahead of anyone’s expectations, and no plans had been made for this eventuality. At 3:00 AM, the caller had searched for availability at the burial place of several family members. He was thrilled that our plots had close proximity to his parents’ grave sites.

We worked out the arrangements and set an appointment to transfer the deeds. The plots, purchased in 1965, still had my dad’s name so Mom needed the original paperwork and a death certificate to verify that she was the sole owner.

Mom and I arrived a little early. Not finding a death certificate, she brought the obituary notice and the cremation certificate. The cemetery rep took some time to verify that these would work. Also, we were informed that the original document merely gave internment rights for two spaces, and we didn’t have deed to any particular spot. The location I had shared with the buyer was already purchased by someone else, even though Mom had received a handwritten note several years ago with specific plot numbers.

Apparently, when the cemetery was first being built, internment rights were sold without specific deeds. Shortly thereafter, a deed was issued, but at some point, Mom discovered that she needed to select a new location, as the original garden was sold out. She was not told she needed to also get a deed to the new locale.

Meanwhile, the other family members arrived, and they had discovered this same dilemma–someone was actually buried in one of the spaces! The rep told us the other party could select new plots in the same section and still complete the deal.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Fortunately, the buyers graciously worked through the details. We were with them over an hour, feeling badly for their extra stress. We shared some family stories and comfort in the Lord while documents were prepared, and felt a closeness to these strangers who were in such a difficult spot. It turns out that the mother of the young man was even more pleased with the new site, so perhaps the errors and complications were a blessing in disguise.

Our big lesson is to read cemetery documents very carefully and make sure that you understand exactly what you have purchased, especially if the sale was made decades ago. If you don’t actually had a deed to specific plots, talk to the representative to clear that up prior to the time you will need it.