Monument company apologizes, pays expenses after child’s grave marker repossessed
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WCMH) – A North Carolina monument company is apologizing after it repossessed the grave marker of a 5-year-old boy who died of leukemia.
“He repossessed it, like it was a car,” Crystal Leatherman said about the owner of the monument company who repossessed the marker of her son, Jake, who died last year.
The owner, J.C. Shoaf, said the couple did pay for the marker in full at the beginning, but they made changes that added to the cost of the stone.
After the story began to spread, Shoaf said he made a terrible mistake and released this statement:
“We’d like very much so to return the grave marker back to Woodlawn Cemetery and give our appreciation to the media for helping us get this resolved, that the family would not owe us anything, we will mark their bill paid in full,” Shoaf said. “We waive all expenses from the Leatherman family. If there are any charges to be paid to the cemetery to have this reinstalled, we will pay all expenses for doing that, and we’re sorry this has happened.”
Shoaf continued, “In hindsight, it was a big mistake to have the cemetery remove it, we see it now, but we do offer the family our condolence, and forgiveness … we hope they forgive us. It has hurt everybody involved, and we hope they have it in their heart to forgive us for it. Our prayers are with the family, and we hope we can be friends down the road.”