Cemetery’s visitors say it needs more work

GLENDALE — Burbank resident Linda Mustion does not have a relative buried at Grand View Memorial Park, but she went to Thursday’s opening to trim overgrown bushes, clean up the grounds and help families find graves.

Mustion, 59, became interested in volunteering at the cemetery when she discovered that after the cemetery closed, many families didn’t know where their loved ones were buried.

She uses charts that have names of the deceased, along with information about their grave marker, to help families find loved ones’ burial spots.

“I do it because I like the history and the value of cemeteries,” Mustion said.

She also has cleared tall bushes and thorny plants from the exterior of the cemetery in the hopes of making it feel more welcoming to visitors, she said.

Mustion has volunteered at the cemetery since a Superior Court judge has been granting the cemetery to be open for limited hours and days.

The cemetery closed in 2006 after controversy began in October 2005 when state investigators found that 4,000 remains at Grand View were not properly disposed of or buried.

State officials removed operator Marsha Lee Howard in November 2005 from her post and forbid the cemetery from conducting new business. Soon after, Moshe Goldsman took over as operator but closed the cemetery’s gates less than a year later due to financial constraints.

To satisfy visitors who wanted access to their loved ones’ graves, the city began opening the cemetery for four hours a week.

But the city stopped opening the cemetery due to financial and fire-hazard issues.

In August 2007, the city got a public-nuisance abatement order against the cemetery to circumvent legal hurdles and do the cleanup itself.

The cemetery remained closed while Goldsman attempted to fix the irrigation system and clean up the grounds.

But some cemetery visitors said Glendale’s oldest cemetery needs more upkeep.

Pasadena resident Woodrow Pearce, who used to manufacture the urns and vases that were sold at the cemetery about 20 years ago, washed a dirt-covered flower vase Thursday and trimmed overgrown grass off his son’s grave.

The conditions of the grounds were bleak, he said.

“I think it’s a crying shame,” Pearce said.

He wants to see the cemetery restored to its original state, but he said the public and city needs to get involved.

“The city of Glendale should definitely make steps to have continuous inspections,” Pearce said.

The cemetery will be open for visitation from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday.

 VERONICA ROCHA covers public safety and the courts. She may be reached at (818) 637-3232 or by e-mail at veronica.rocha@ latimes.com.