Locals locked out of Pawtucket Cemetery on Memorial Day

May 29, 2018 1:54 pm

By: Scott Cook

Twitter: @JScottCook

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WLNE) — Memorial Day seems like a strange day to keep a cemetery locked and closed, but that’s exactly what happened at Riverside Cemetery in Pawtucket.

Numerous people came to the cemetery to spend time with lost loved ones Monday, but when they got to the gate, they were greeted by lock and a sign that read ‘by appointment only.’

Many were forced to leave their flowers and flags at the gate, ruining plans to remember and reflect on the service of their loved ones.

“It is very sad,” said Bethany Russell, who was locked out Monday. “My grandfather was very proud of the fact that he served in World War II, and we like to honor our dead, so we wanted to bring flowers and a flag for him and we weren’t able to do that.”

“My grandparents paid to be buried here,” Russell continued, “is it even okay for them to keep the family locked out from seeing them by appointment only? It just doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

ABC6 did some investigating and it turns out the woman who runs Riverside Cemetery has become very ill recently, and has been unable to tend to the cemetery.

Riverside does have a board of directors who are supposed to take over if the undertaker is unable to so, however, every member of that board except for one lives out of state.

ABC6 reached out to that local board member to ask why the cemetery was not open on Memorial Day and when it will open again.

We have yet to get a response back.