04/10/2026
Spring has sprung and our grounds' crew has been busy. We've received many positive comments about this FB page and its ability to provide clarity and answers to questions. So, I wanted to take a few minutes to address a couple questions that have come to us regarding timing issues for new graves and monuments, and our office hours.
1. Why is the office not open everyday anymore?
Due to financial constraints, we no longer have office personnel. The office is staffed part time by Audrey, who is one of our grounds crew members. So, while we do have posted office hours for 2 hrs in the morning and 2 hrs in the afternoon, those are always subject to change. If we have funerals that day or need to prep for funerals the following day, or clean up following funerals, the office will be closed because Audrey is needed "up top" as our staff refers to the cemetery grounds. We do monitor phone calls however, forwarding them to staff cell phones, and we provide a drop box for payments, etc. If our staff is up on the grounds and you need to reach someone, please call the office phone and leave a message.
2. Why hasn't my family's grave been leveled or seeded yet?
If you are wondering why it takes so long for a new grave to be leveled and seeded, it is because our crew needs to wait at least 6 months for the ground to settle, so they can add soil wherever needed before leveling. Please keep in mind that depending on the time of year the burial took place, it can take as many as 9 or 10 months for some graves before leveling and seeding can occur. For example, if the 6 months is up in October, it will be the following Spring before it can be seeded, as we cannot seed past September.
3. Why does it take months to get a monument installed?
This question is probably best answered by the monument companies, but I'll give it a go from our perspective. Each monument must be mounted on a concrete footer, which are dug and poured only twice a year by the monument companies. And as you may know, concrete must have time to "cure" or set-up or whatever it is to be hard enough to support the weight of a several hundred pound monument. That takes time and we live in Ohio, so weather is always a factor in timing. Then the monument itself must be ordered, cut to specifications, etched, and engraved. Each of those is a separate stage. So again, patience is the key. Like the seeding, it is usually months before a monument is ready for the monument company to install it.
I hope this helps to answer your questions. We certainly understand that grieving families just want the grave to look nice. And so do we. But it is a process with many steps to it, and with other companies involved. And though it may not always seem like it, everything at Oakwood has safety and sound reasoning behind it. Oakwood is only one of the many cemeteries our funeral homes and monument companies serve. So, we are fortunate and grateful to be dealing with really good ones. Finally, we are always happy to answer your questions. We may not always be able to give you the answer you want to hear, but we will do our best to explain the reasons for our response.
