Paragonah faces criticism over cemetery conditions

PARAGONAH, Utah (ABC4) — Paragonah is facing criticism after one resident says the grounds of its cemetery have fallen into disrepair, but they say the conditions are due to dry weather conditions.

Carla Fullerton has over 100 relatives buried in the Paragonah cemetery, spanning several generations, and her daughter is buried in Paragonah Cemetery. She said, “I made a vow when she passed away that I would always make sure that her final resting place was a beautiful place to be.”

Additionally, the mountains and beautiful scenery is what led her and her family to purchase family plots. Fullerton told ABC4, “This was home. This is where we all bought family plot. So, I have a plot here, and I always thought that it would be the most beautiful resting place against these Red Mountains behind us.”

However, Carla Fullerton now says the cemetery feels abandoned, with a lot of dirt and weeds. She said, “To me, this is obviously neglect. It’s like there’s trees growing up all over in the ground. There’s already weeds. Whoever is taking care of the cemetery, I don’t feel like they’re doing their job.”

She hopes that by speaking out about the cemetery conditions, something will change. “I’m hoping whoever’s in charge of the cemetery will value it and value the people that are here. These are our ancestors here, and they’ve done so much for this little community of Paragonah,” she said.

Paragonah Town told ABC4 that they are aware of the cemetery conditions and linked the conditions to recent weather conditions. Reportedly, extreme drought, hot temperatures, wind, and low water pressure have all contributed to the cemetery’s conditions.

The town is also regularly watering the cemetery. Additionally, they are now increasing watering times to try to improve conditions.