SAN ANTONIO – Family members who spent Father’s Day at a West Side cemetery found themselves cleaning and reorganizing their loved one’s gravesite instead of peacefully remembering him.
Angel Perez has noticed tire tracks, displaced items, and unkempt grass multiple times while visiting her father’s grave, Edward Perez, at San Fernando Cemetery II on Castroville Road.
He leaves behind children, grandchildren and his wife, Irene Perez.
Edward Perez died from cancer in January and was buried at San Fernando Cemetery II, a decision his wife is reconsidering after the last five months.
“I was very, very disappointed. I was crying in tears because of so much anger inside me because of his grave being destroyed,” Irene Perez said.
The issue appears to extend beyond a single gravesite, according to other pictures from Angel Perez and prior KSAT coverage on “neglected and violated” graves at San Fernando Cemetery II.
The family said their cleanup on Father’s Day marks the third incident of damage to the gravesite since Edward’s burial. Cell phone video footage shows disturbed soil and tire marks across burial plots.
“What we’re dealing with is basically disrespect towards my father’s grave,” Angel Perez said. “They shouldn’t be rolling tractors, leaving tractor marks on people’s resting places.”
The Archdiocese of San Antonio sent KSAT a statement reading in part:
“The Archdiocese of San Antonio takes very seriously the maintenance and care of Catholic cemeteries … Anyone with concerns or issues regarding the grounds should contact the cemetery office at that particular location.”
Irene and Angel Perez said they have already spoken with the cemetery office.
“They normally brush me off,” Irene Perez said. “They normally say, ‘We’ll look into it’.”
While cemetery groundskeepers met with the family to discuss the situation, Angel Perez said her brother ended up taking matters into their own hands.
“[The groundskeeper] claimed that he was going to go ahead and fix it,” Angel Perez said. “As of [June 15], my brother is here fixing it, laying down fresh grass, fixing the dirt, the soil.”
The Archdiocese did not allow media access to the property on Father’s Day. However, visitors shared cell phone videos documenting issues they have with the location, including tire marks over graves and overgrown grass.
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