Memorial Lawn Cemetery

I went to Memorial Lawn Cemetery on 5/29/22 to place flowers on my parents & grandparent’s graves. Although I have been there many times, initially, I could not find their graves because they were nearly covered with weeds. My grandparents have an urn between their graves & it was completely covered with weeds. I was beginning to think I had imagined they even had an urn. I went home & brought back a weed eater, rake, & broom so I could clean up their graves. In 72 years, I have never seen a cemetery look as bad as Memorial Lawn. I also noticed that nearby, a grave had been dug in 2021. The cemetery had never prepared the grave. It still has a mound of dirt & no grass. The owners & caretakers should be ashamed. This is so disrespectful to our loved ones who are laid to rest in that cemetery.

I not happy with Memorial Lawn and how they do not up keep the Cemetery. I have a brother buried in baby land and the grass is so over grown I can not find where he has been laid to rest. Our family can put flowers on his grave which is heart wrenching. Also, my grandparents, Aunts and and Uncles are buried here it same their resting place. Horrible disrespect to our family and those we have lost. I will continue to complain till the grounds keepers understand what respect means. Sadly, I do not feel like anymore of our family should be buried her together with how poorly it is taken care of.

I've never seen such a horrible cemetery in my life!!! My mother drove from Davenport to Iowa City to pick me up and bring me to Ottumwa to pay our respects to my grandparents . I have never seen a cemetery look as bad as memorial lawn looked in my life!! The headstone was sunken in and there was so much dead grass covering my grandparents headstone it's a wonder that we didn't have to brush off every headstone to find my grandparents marker. Also my grandparents had a vase in the middle of there headstone that was stolen. I'm not sure who's responsible for replacement of the vase. But the look of memorial lawn cemetery is appalling!!! Do you not have any respect for people's loved ones at all? Believe me if you have family buried at memorial lawn cemetery in ottumwa or know of anyone who does i would definitely tell them too take a look at there loved ones headstone because it probably looks absolutely horrible!!!

We are very disappointed with the upkeep on our parents graves. Some of the areas of the cemetery look better than where they are in the veterans section. I suppose since they offer free plots to veterans they don't think they have to keep it looking nice. I think it's the least they could do for those who served their country. If they need to have payment for the lot to keep it up, then charge instead of giving free plots.

My sister and I just got back from there and had to take our own weed eater and blower to get to the marker and decorate it.

Disgraceful and unacceptable!

Had we know this ahead of time, they would be somewhere different.

Keep that in mind if you are looking for a final resting place for your loved ones. They deserve to be respected by having the people in charge taking upkeep seriously.

Shirley Davis

I visited the Cemetery today on veterans day and of all days to be disrespectful to the deceased veterans, I found not one single flag in this Cemetery. I am enraged and disgusted by this Cemetery and to know that they are not honoring my father and brother is making me sick to my stomach. I have no reason to believe that this is because of the fact that they are in need of help but because they are lazy. We have had so many problems with them. This is the worst.