BARTLETT, Tenn. — Every year on the same day, Thomas Word comes to Galilee Memorial Gardens just to be close to his dearly departed family.
Thomas Word says, "It’s memorial day, my daddy was a veteran, I’m a veteran, my mother… She was just my heart."
And Word, of course is not alone on this memorial day. Dozens came to this dilapidated Bartlett cemetery wondering what it would look like today.
Regina Coleman says, "It looks better than it has in the past."
While others agree with Miss Coleman, the vast majority don’t.
Morris Jones came to Galilee Monday morning to do what he always does. Cut and clean the lot where his mother, brother and two aunts are buried.
Morris Jones says, "Right now, I’m still not happy with the way it looks, because I know it should be, you know, better."
As ABC24 has reported, Galilee and its account was seized by the state of Tennessee, 10 years ago and dividends from that account is what’s used by the state to pay for maintenance.
The main problem we discovered that dividends changes from year to year. And that this year‘s dividends is nearly half of what was dolled out last year.
And Morris tells us regardless of money, It’s sad to see families having to clear their own lots that they have already paid money to have done.
Morris Jones says, "It’s sad, because I never thought that I would ever see the day that Galilee Memorial Gardens would look like this, I’m heartbroken by that."
We reached out to the man who is charged by the state of Tennessee, to maintain the property and he says he will have the property cut this week.