The Grant County Council declined to spend $300,000 in taxpayer money to help fix up a deteriorating cemetery.
It’s an update to a story WRTV Investigates brought you in July about Estates of Serenity in Marion, a cemetery dating back to the early 1800s, where more than 70,000 people are buried across 100 acres.
A Grant County judge ruled Center Township Trustee Deb Cain can take over the maintenance and financial matters of Estates of Serenity.
At a meeting September 17, the council did not advance Cain’s request for $300,000 citing mounting financial concerns in Grant County.
“It seems like unfortunately, we don’t have enough money to fulfill all the requests,” said Council President Greg Kitts. “I wish we did.”
Council members pointed to a $4 million “wish list” from county commissioners and another request to house out-of-county inmates as reasons for declining funding for the cemetery.
“It doesn’t even take into account employee raise requests, regular utilities, repairs and maintenance, and then capital improvements,” said Kitts. “County Commissioners have come to us with a wish list that’s over $4 million, that’s not appropriated that they would like to see us spend money.”
Kitts suggested the cemetery take a community approach to fixing up the cemetery, to which Cain responded that it’s too big of a job to accomplish on a volunteer basis.
Cain provided the following statement to WRTV in response to the council's decision.
TRUSTEE CAIN STATEMENT
"I wish the county council had chosen to be part of the solution. Our community had an understanding that the council would provide the funding. I recognize that board members has changed between 2024 and 2025, but the promise and the purpose remain unchanged. Standing behind that promise and upholding it with a real commitment is a matter of integrity.
The very reason we have city and county councils is to think creatively—outside the box—for the betterment of the people they represent. That requires listening, adapting, and working toward solutions that reflect community priorities. When I requested that the council revisit this issue, to brainstorm and collaborate on ways forward, the request to do so was met with silence."
When WRTV Investigates stopped by the cemetery on June 30, the grounds were plagued with brush piles, dead trees, high weeds and grass, and headstones out of place.
Center Township Trustee Deb Cain now has full control over the cemetery’s ground maintenance, repairs, financial matters and operations.
Since Center Township Trustee Deb Can took over maintenance of the cemetery in mid-July, crews have been working around the clock to mow and weed-eat.
After receiving complaints from families, Cain filed a lawsuit in September 2024 against Brian Jeffrey, president of the Marion Cemetery Corporation, who had been running Estates of Serenity.
Jeffrey took over the business in 2021 after his brother died. WRTV caught up with Jeffrey in Grant County on June 30.
- WRTV Investigates Kara Kenney: “What do you want to say to the families who are concerned about the condition of the cemetery?”
- Jeffrey: “My lawyer said not to talk to you guys.”
- WRTV Investigates Kara Kenney: “Is the condition of the cemetery acceptable to you?
- Jeffrey: “Lawyer said not to talk to you, so I’m not going to talk to you.”
In July, a Grant County Judge ruled in favor of Trustee Cain.
“The neglect must stop now, and the only path forward is to vest the Center Township Trustee with the care and maintenance of Estates of Serenity,” read the judge’s order.
Since then, Cain says she’s been working more than 70 hours a week between her township trustee duties and improving the cemetery.
"This is part of me now. This is who I am,” said Cain. “I feel a responsibility to every family that’s out here."
While crews have made a lot of progress, Cain emphasizes there is still a lot to do, including fixing mausoleums in disrepair.
"There are multiple headstones out here that need to be reset, need to be put back into place, need to be fixed,” said Cain. “There are dead trees, at least 50, that’s expensive to get down. "
Last month, the City of Marion Common Council approved $300,000 to help with maintaining the cemetery.
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WRTV Investigates has learned Brian Jeffrey’s cemetery license has been on probation with the state since February 2024.
And in February 2025, the Indiana Funeral and Cemetery Board found Jeffrey violated his probation and cited Jeffrey for failing to:
- Regularly mow large sections of the grounds
- Trim around monuments
- Remove dead or dying trees
- Repair and reset monuments
The most recent order says Jeffrey must submit quarterly reports to the board, including financial documents and photographs.
The February 2025 order also says Jeffrey was supposed to submit an action plan within 90 days.
“No, he has not submitted any of those,” said Emily Cox, a spokesperson with the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, in an email to WRTV.
Jeffrey failed to show up for an August Indiana Funeral and Cemetery Board meeting, citing that he did not have the funds or transportation to attend the hearing.
The matter is expected to be discussed at the next Indiana Funeral and Cemetery Board meeting on October 2.
