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Lost tombstone: City of Duncan officials look for rightful resting place

Staff at the City of Duncan are looking to return a gravestone to its rightful resting place.
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A City of Duncan official was alerted to a displaced tombstone and is now trying to find its rightful resting place. (Sarah Simpson/Citizen)

Staff at the City of Duncan are looking to return a displaced gravestone to its rightful resting place.

Duncan bylaw officer Garry Kerr said he was notified of the headstone recently while attending to a bylaw matter near Queen Margarets School.

“I got called up to a complaint on a completely unrelated issue and after I dealt with the issue the guy told me he had recently noticed a headstone from a grave lying in the bush,” Kerr said.

The two men went to have a closer look at the stone. It was off a trail in a residential area near the south end of the school.

“It’s not that big, it’s a fairly small headstone,” Kerr noted. “It looks like somebody has just dumped it there or thrown it there.”

It’s been there at least a few weeks.

The “very weathered” stone is inscribed with the following:

“Beloved son of Jesse and Sarah E. Broadbent

Died April 8 1905, age 3 years 9 months.”

On the back side of the stone it reads: “FATHER”.

Kerr has made the rounds, contacting the caretakers of the local cemeteries but his work thus far has yielded no leads.

“We are absolutely coming up with nothing,” Kerr said.

The headstone is currently at City Hall until the mystery can be solved.

“We just want the stone to go back to where it belongs,” Kerr said.

Anyone with ideas as to where the tombstone should reside is asked to contact the City of Duncan at 250-746-6126.



sarah.simpson@cowichanvalleycitizen.com

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Sarah Simpson

About the Author: Sarah Simpson

I started my time with Black Press Media as an intern, before joining the Citizen in the summer of 2004.
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