Private land burial ‘unique’ for real estate broker’s widow, approved by city council
GayleWright permitted to buildmausoleum to honor late husband.
The widow of a CENTERVILLE —
Dayton-area real estate broker who died in August can bury her husband’s remains on private property in what one city official called a “unique situation.”
DonWright’s wife of 40 years i s a l l owed a “one-time interment of human remains on private property within the city limits as long as the family owns the property,” says a measure approved by Centerville City Council on Monday night.
GayleWright asked the city to allowthe building of a 120-squarefoot mausoleum on theWrights’ 13.5-acre property on Centerville Station Road to honor her late husband, a co-founder of Roberds Furniture who also ran Don Wright Realty for decades before his death at 83.
Gayle Wright’s request was “evaluated with existing land use restrictions” and discussed with Public Health–Dayton & Montgomery County, Centerville City Manager Wayne Davis said in a statement.
“This is a unique situation, and we do not anticipate many other properties in the city would qualify in a similar manner,” Davis added.
PublicHealth spokesman Dan Suffoletto said in an email “as long as the death certificate is properly completed by a doctor, we have no specific concerns about a home burial. Residents would have to refer to their local city for any specific rules they may have.”
The resolution approved by Centerville allows burials only on private properties of 12 acres or more, said Kate Bostdorff, the city’scommunications director.
Property size “isn’t always a determining factor, but it could be,” saidMelissa Sullivan, executive director of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association.
“This is up to the locale to determine what restrictions they want to put on that,” she said.
Burial on private property ismorecommon“when people have larger farms in rural areas,” Sullivan said.
“But when it comes to metropolitan areas or areas where there might be a little more restrictions, certainly an individualwouldwant to clear that,” she added. “And it sounds like this family has done that.”
After Don Wright died, his wife asked Centerville for permission to erect the mausoleum. City staff“determined that city council has the statutory authority to regulate the burial of human remains on private property,” a memo from Centerville Community Development Director Michael Norton-Smith states.