Family’s grief at losing their mother grows after they discover her dying wish to be buried with her parents was unfulfilled due to cemetery blunder
- Sonia’s dying wish was to be buried with parents
- Buried elsewhere at Pinnaroo Lawn Cemetery
- Council says error caused by funeral director
A grieving family mourning the loss of their mum have been dealt another heartbreaking blow following a major bungle where she was buried in the wrong cemetery plot.
Queensland mother-of-two Sonia Jordan, 75, died on February 21 following a long battle with illness.
Her dying wish was to be buried alongside her late parents at Pinnaroo Lawn Cemetery at Bridgeman Downs in Brisbane’s north.
The family communicated those wishes to cemetery staff at a meeting held a month prior to her death.
Ms Jordan was farewelled at a gravesite burial service at the cemetery on March 1, where her family believed she was buried in the same plot as her parents.
Sonia Jordan (second right) wanted to be buried with her parents after she died. She is pictured with her two daughters and twin sister (right)
The family was horrified to learn this week that not only was Ms Jordan not buried with her parents but far away on the other side of the cemetery.
The error was finally picked up on this week when the family tried to organise a grave plaque with the three names.
Ms Jordan’s shattered twin sister and daughters have spent the this week struggling to get answers about the bungle.
‘It’s pretty ordinary that this is happening, and it’s disappointing because we’re still in the grieving stages,’ her daughter Peta Edwards told the Courier Mail.
‘We asked for mum to be buried with her mum and dad – my grandparents – on top of each other and that’s what we paid for.’
‘How can they muck something so important up?’
Sonia was buried in another section of Pinnaroo Lawn Cemetery (pictured), which is managed by Brisbane Council
Pinnaroo Lawn Cemetery is managed by Brisbane City Council which was ‘ extremely sorry’ to hear about the error caused by the funeral director.
In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, the council claimed the funeral director didn’t provide the existing burial plot information in accordance with the family’s wishes.
‘Unfortunately, an error by a private funeral director has resulted in the omission of the correct burial plot number and caused this issue,’ Councillor Vicki Howard said.
‘I am extremely sorry this has happened. As soon as I was made aware of this issue, I made sure Council officers resolved this matter in close consultation with the family.’
The council added it has since been in contact with Ms Jordan’s family where the two parties reached an outcome which include reimbursement of burial and associated costs.
Brisbane City Councillor Vicki Howard was ‘extremely sorry’ to hear what happened
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