A mother is still grieving over the death of her son. Jo Corbett-Week's son, Max, had a number of health issues when he was born. The most serious issue was epilepsy. When Max was just four years old, he died from his illnesses. To add to her grief, there was a single complaint about the special Headstone she placed at Max's grave three years after his death.
Corbett-Week didn't have enough money when Max first died, so she saved up money for three years. She was happy the way it looked when the headstone was installed on what would have been Max's seven birthday.
Her happiness didn't last long after it was removed three days later from the family plot in the town cemetery.
Headstone removed
Max's headstone was removed from the grave without his mother's permission or knowledge. The reason given was that plans for it were not approved in advance. Also, it was different from the other headstones, and someone had complained because it was unlike the others because of its shape.
Complaint
A single family complained to the town council that the star-and-bear design made the headstone stand out from among the others. It gave a different look to the cemetery because no other graves were decorated like the child's. The mother paid $4,580 to give her little boy a special headstone that was suitable for Max because it reflected his spirit.
It was in the shape of a star being hugged by a teddy bear with a lot of toys and flowers beneath it.
Town council
The town council tried to convince the mother to accept a different design, but Jo insisted she wanted the original one put back. She is still fighting to have that done. She said the town council never contacted her.
She found out about it when the stonemason let her know he had been ordered to remove it.
A spokesperson for the Malvern Town Council said it was a difficult decision to remove the headstone, but it was necessary because of the rules of the cemetery. The council explained that if Max had been buried in the children's area, there would not have been a problem. He was buried in the adult section to be close to family members. As of now, Max's mother is still fighting to have the headstone replaced.
