TOMS RIVER – Ocean County Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari, like many residents in the county have a tradition to visit the graves of loved ones during special holidays such as Easter and this Sunday’s Mother’s Day.
Vicari said recently that he had been surprised to learn that while public cemeteries were open to the public during the COVID-19 crisis that private cemeteries were subject to their own discretion.
The Freeholder Director noted that he had heard from residents who tried to visit the Ocean County Memorial Park cemetery in Toms River and Waretown found its gates were closed.
“Residents want to visit their deceased relatives and pay respects. It is a quiet peaceful environment and as long as everyone pays attention to the social distancing rules, I don’t know why this would present a problem,” Vicari said.
When contacted on May 6, a representative for the cemetery said that the cemetery would be open Saturday from 3 a.m. to dark and on Sunday, Mother’s Day, from 9 a.m. to dark.
Ocean County Memorial Park is a nonsectarian cemetery which has been providing for the burial needs of Ocean County and the surrounding areas since 1965.
The cemetery’s website states that, “we strive to have our buildings and grounds be a welcoming place for visitors to our park and invite attendance to our many annual services; Veterans Memorial Day Service, Quarterly Memorial Services, Easter Sunday Sunrise Service and our Traditional Holiday Candlelight Services.”
Vicari was hoping that the facility would indeed decide to open its gates during Mother’s Day even as the COVID-19 conditions exist saying that for resident’s mental and emotional health, it was important to continue traditions such as visiting the graves of loved ones.
