Youngstown man sues Girard over size of tombstone

WARREN -- A lawsuit has been filed by a Youngstown man against the city of Girard over the size of a tombstone.
Howard Walp, of South Schenley Avenue, filed his suit in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, and he's seeking $2,600 for a new headstone and $40 a day for storing the one he bought.
Walp said in the lawsuit that he bought three plots from the city April 13, 2005, the day his sister, Brenda Walp, died.
He also bought a stone that was 5 feet high, 3 feet wide and 6 inches thick. Walp claims he based the size of the stone he bought on the dimensions of those already in Girard City Cemetery.
Jerry Lambert, city safety/service director, said Friday that he last talked with Walp after he bought the stone, telling him the machine used in the cemetery couldn't move it without being assured it wouldn't break. Also, Walp didn't have a permit to put up the stone, Lambert said.
"We were willing to work with him," Lambert noted, adding that he suggested six inches be cut from either end of the stone.
The reason there is a size limit, the safety-service director explained, is because stones are sometimes moved to make space to dig other graves.