Gravestone left at Aalsmeer thrift store
A gravestone was left at a thrift store in Aalsmeer. The store’s owner is trying to find the family of the deceased woman whose gravemarker it was.
“This gravestone has arrived at our thrift store, and we do not feel right about it,” Gideon Italiaander, owner of the thrift store on Lakenblekerstraat in Aalsmeer, said on Facebook. “We would very much like to return it to the rightful family or surviving loved ones.”
The stone marked the grave of a woman who was born in 1896 and died in 1989. “Do you know this stone, or do you know who it belongs to? We would very much like to hear from you.”
Italiaander added that they’re treating the gravestone “with the utmost respect” while it is in their possession.
Italiaander’s post received over 620 comments, with many speculating that the stone likely came from a grave that had been cleared. “I can imagine that you wouldn’t want such a stone in your home,” one commenter wrote. Many still found it weird to leave it at a thrift store.
Several commenters recommended that, if no one comes forward to claim it, Italiaander take the gravestone to a funeral home or a stone mason for possible reuse.
