SUNAPEE — Sunapee resident Richard James Morse lost a lot of sleep in the months after he found out that someone mistakenly engraved a death date next to his name on his family’s custom-made headstone in Eastman Cemetery last year.
But Morse has since found peace of mind, as Charles and Marion Hafner, who own Newton-Bartlett Funeral Home in Newport and Chadwick Funeral Service in New London, have paid for a replacement stone, their son Dan said on Monday. The memorial was replaced about a month ago.
“I don’t know of another outfit that would do that,” an appreciative Morse said on Monday. “It looks great. They did a good job.”
In May 2018, Morse, a longtime Sunapee resident, had knelt down to plant flowers in front of his family’s headstone when he noticed the error on the custom piece he had installed in summer 2017 to the tune of $3,800.
The birth and death dates of his wife, Lynda Aline Morse, and daughter, Melissa Lynn, were etched into the arch, and he saw that someone had professionally etched a death date next to his name, despite him being very much alive.
He investigated the matter himself, as did the Sunapee Police Department. Although Morse said he believes he knows who made the mistake, that person has never admitted it.
Sunapee police Sgt. Tim Puchtler said on Monday that the department was never able to crack the case.
Dan Hafner said workers tried to replace the stone last year, but logistics with the seasons didn’t work in their favor. The new stone — which is identical to the old one — now is in place.
“I feel a lot better,” Morse said. “I was really, really upset.”
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.