Kimberly Walker's family had prior approval for their daughter's headstone in Cincinnati but have now been told to remove it. Photo / AP
Kimberly Walker's family had prior approval for their daughter's headstone in Cincinnati but have now been told to remove it. Photo / AP
The family of a slain Iraqi war veteran wants her towering SpongeBob SquarePants headstone returned to her final resting place while the cemetery officials that removed it say they won't allow a return of the cartoon character, which means a court may have to rule on the issue.
Deborah Walkertold AP after yesterday's meeting with Spring Grove Cemetery officials she'd consider their proposals if they would think about hers - simply putting her daughter Kimberly's gravestone back. The family believes the headstone was the only fitting tribute for Walker, a huge SpongeBob fan.
But cemetery President Gary Freytag said that isn't an option.
The headstone fashioned in the cartoon character's likeness was erected at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati on October 10, almost eight months after Kimberly Walker, 28, was found dead in a Colorado hotel room.
Despite getting the cemetery's prior approval of the design - a smiling SpongeBob in an army uniform, with Walker's name and rank - cemetery staff called her family the day after it was installed to say it would have to come down.
Cemetery officials said the employee who approved the design made a mistake. It was taken down along with a duplicate erected for Walker's living twin sister.
Deborah Walker said her family had a contract, wants it to be honoured as promised and is considering their legal options.
Other possible solutions, Freytag said, include creating new, more traditional headstones bearing a smaller SpongeBob likeness, or laying the original headstones flat on the ground after redesigning the lot. Kimberly Walker's twin sister, Kara Walker, said her family went to great lengths for each of the US$13,000 ($15,300) headstones, including obtaining copyright approval.
