Dear Editor:While doing some family genealogy, I have been referring lately to some cemetery records and to internet web sites which specialize in pictures of tombstones, e.g., FindAGrave.com.

In the process, I was reminded of the occasional vandalism occurring at the Downey Cemetery and that many families will be denied the future opportunity to visit the marked graves of their loved ones. As I understand the situation, cemeteries are traditionally not responsible to replace any such markers and rather leave it up to the families to do it themselves-many of whom are never aware of the situation.

Any local service organization interested in such matters would be helping in the preservation of such links to future generations if they were to research and identify the vandalized markers, attempt to notify the families, and possibly raise funds for modest replacements-especially applicable to members of the military. Hugh T. Hoskins Downey

********** Published: Febuary 7, 2013 - Volume 11 - Issue 43