Gravestone left at Aalsmeer thrift store returned to surviving family

A gravestone left at a thrift store in Aalsmeer last month has been returned to the family of the woman it belonged to, thrift store owner Gideon Italiaander reported on Facebook. A female relative came to collect the gravestone and also found a prayer book that belonged to the same woman while at the store.

A few weeks ago, Italiaander thought a customer was playing a joke on him when they inquired about the price of a gravestone at his Aalsmere store, the man told NH Nieuws. He went to investigate and found the gravestone of a woman who lived between 1896 and 1989.

The gravestone in a thrift store made him feel uncomfortable. “It’s just a little too personal, I actually think it shouldn’t be considered sellable,” he told the broadcaster. He put a photo of the headstone on social media, asking for relatives to come get it.

Italiaander was flooded with responses. “The phone was ringing off the hook. I’m also not answering or reading emails anymore. I urged relatives who want to pick up the stone to come to the store.”

And on Sunday afternoon, a relative did just that. Italiaander did not say how she was related to the woman whose headstone it was, but she didn’t leave with only the grave marker. She also found a prayer book that may have belonged to the same woman.

Italiaander is pleased with the outcome. “All’s well that ends well,” he wrote on Facebook.