DAYTON — A family said they paid for headstones for three family members, but years after their deaths, their graves are still unmarked.
News Center 7’s John Bedell spoke to the family about their struggle and tried to get answers. Hear from the family LIVE on News Center 7 at 6:00.
On Monday, Rev. Ralph Griffin III had to search for his mother’s grave.
She died in 2015, but her grave is still unmarked.
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“With my faith, I just believe this is the resting place of a shell that she’s transitioned to heaven. But when I came out to see her, I had to literally physically dig and find the marker and then have a guesstimation of where she would be laid to rest. And it was an extremely emotional moment,” Griffin said.
The same is true for his stepdad’s and brother’s graves in the same cemetery.
Only here’s the thing: he paid nearly $5,800 for the headstones and finished paying in installments more than two and a half years ago.
Griffin paid Stromas Flowers, Gift Shop, and Monuments for the headstones.
He said he last talked to the business on Gettysburg Avenue in Dayton about a year ago.
“And since that time, I’ve been unable to get in contact with them,” Griffin said.
Griffin said they’ve stopped getting back to him.
News Center 7 stopped by the business Monday to request a comment and found a note on the door that said “Stromas Flowers temporarily closed due to death in family.”
Griffin said he’s had similar experiences lately.
“Last week, no note. Today it was a death in the family. A couple of weeks ago, it was an illness. Then it was, ‘we’ve changed our hours of operation.’ So really, it’s just been a plethora of different, what I would call, just excuses,” He said.
News Center 7 called the business. The first number appeared to be disconnected.
The second number went to voicemail.
Back at the cemetery, Griffin and his wife told me they want “results” from the business.
“Either immediate headstones or our money back,” Annette Griffin said.
The Griffins said they are considering filing a consumer complaint with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
We will continue to follow this story.
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