Gravediggers refuse to bury dead body

A Green Hill family, grieving the death of its loved one, was made to suffer even more by two gravediggers last Sunday, November 30, at the Kingstown Cemetery.{{more}}

Despite several pleas by appalled funeral goers and weeping family members, two gravediggers refused to bury the body of Bernard Wilson, 54, because it was raining and they had not been issued with raincoats by the Town Board.

“I felt so bad. That was ridiculous. My father didn’t deserve that,” said a still upset Eardley Wilson (photo below), 22, who had to roll up his sleeves, wipe away his tears and help to commit his father’s body to the earth.

“No matter what people said, those guys said they not covering the dead. Could you imagine that people have to bury their own dead,” said Eldon Haynes, a cousin of the deceased, who also assisted in the burial.

“He didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve that,” was the cry of a broken hearted Jean-Ann (Linda) Boyea, girlfriend of the deceased.


When SEARCHLIGHT contacted Benjamin Haynes, Deputy Warden of the Kingstown Town Board, he expressed his disappointment over what transpired.

“Normally, outside workers really should get raincoats; we are going to buy two and give them (the gravediggers), but that really should not have stopped them from doing it because they have been doing it for years,” Haynes said.

A meeting was expected to be convened yesterday (Thursday, December 4) at 10 a.m. to discuss what happened, and Haynes said that the situation would be dealt with so that “nothing like that ever happens again.” (KJ)