LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Bullitt County family in a legal battle with a local cemetery said it's been a tough journey for closure.
The Holder family laid their loved one, 21-year-old Shawn Holder, to rest on July 4, 2023 at Brookland Cemetery. His mother Glenda Holder said it was difficult nightmare when wanting to order a custom headstone for her son or leave memorials.
"They would take all of Shawn's flowers," Glenda said. "They wouldn't approve our monument and we tried a couple of times to get them to approve the monument. Just basic harassment for no reason. There was no reason for it."
On Thursday, a court order allowed the family to rebury Shawn, his grandfather and uncle at their family home where they created a cemetery of their own.
Glenda and her daughter Erica Bowman said it's what he would've wanted since he created so many memories here.
"It was a long time coming," Glenda said.
The first snow of the season was descending on the Holders as they moved their loved ones into the new plots. A pastor gave a few words and acknowledged Shawn, a father himself, was just a day shy from his 22nd birthday.
"This is where we will be," Glenda said. "Bryan (Holder) and I will be right beside Shawn. Pam (Holder), my mother-in-law, beside her baby and her husband and the rest of the family will join us when it's their time."
It's an important moment, as they welcome their loved ones back to the home where they also created lifelong memories.
"This is where we grew up," Bowman said. "This is where our whole childhood was spent riding four wheelers and bikes. So it's good to have him back home where he belongs."
Family members were moved from Brookland Cemetery amid a legal battle over a lien placed on Shawn's grave and for damages the cemetery said happened after his funeral service.
The Holder family sued, accusing the cemetery of extreme emotional distress, outrageous conduct and more.
"Brookland Cemetery has been helping people in difficult moment for over 40 years," the cemetery's attorney said in a statement back in August. "We have never had issues like this with anyone. We will have no further comment while the litigation is pending."
"It's definitely not over," Glenda said. "We do still have an active court case with them. We'll take it to a jury and let the jury decide what's going to happen there."
She said the family still has cemetery plots at Brookland, and they've been told if they want to transfer them to a different person they would have to pay fees.
"We'll deal with that in the future," Glenda said. "Right now I'm just glad everyone is home and we'll let our attorney deal with the rest in the court system."
As the soil is laid on Shawn's casket, he now has the headstone his family wanted for him. A large stone covered with engraved pictures of him, his family, his ATV and arm tattoo which are in color.
"It feels good," Glenda said. "It's what we've been waiting on for 18 months. It should've never had to happen, but it did and we're glad they're home. We can come out anytime we want and visit."
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