(CMR) CMR was on location Sunday morning when three graves were relocated in the Prospect cemetery off Shamrock Road, Grand Cayman by The National Roads Authority (NRA). The graves were exhumed and relocated to the opposite end of the cemetery in order to make room for road expansion works. Bodden Funeral Service assisted with the removal of the remains; with one dating back 41 years.
The grave removal was first approved in 2019 and despite some objections, it was still approved. The NRA said that it has no choice but to move the graves in order to allow for that section of Shamrock Road to be expanded to six lanes.
The grave relocation efforts began in earnest several weeks ago when CMR observed the outer concrete casings being prepared on the morning of July 12. CMR was initially informed of the steps had been taken to being the removal process.
The move culminated with the actual remains being moved on Sunday morning. Family remembers was invited to witness and participate in the reburial. One person had about a dozen members attend that server earlier in the day.
CMR was able to get an exclusive look inside one of the graves to see how the process was conducted. Little remained of the caskets or deceased persons. One casket was made of metal and the other two of wood – a few fragments of that remained. The remains were respectfully removed and placed in a body bag before being relocated to the newly build concrete housing. Back in those days, the bottom of the casing was not sealed so all three graves had inches of sea water in them.
The three graves were of women buried in the 1980s. Helena Chojnacka was born in 1897 and died in 1982. Myrtle V. Eden was born in 1901 and died in 1980. Dollie Farrell McCoy was born in 1900 and died in 1989.
Road expansion projects continue to be a major concern around the island as traffic woes frustrate many commuters.
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