CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Curtis Powell was a good man. He died in September, and in November his family paid $6,000 to Roosevelt Memorial Park in Chesapeake for a memorial bench as a marker for his grave.
The family claims the bench was supposed to be delivered in April, and no later than May. Three weeks into July, and still no memorial bench.
They contacted 10 on Your Side, and we went with the family went to confront the management at Roosevelt Memorial Park in Chesapeake.
The parking lot was full of cars, so we knocked on windows and locked doors to get someone to answer. There was no answer.
Norma Powell, who was married to Curtis for 35 years, and her daughter Kurstin said it was typical for the staff to be unresponsive. When 10 On Your Side when to the park, we could see people moving inside the windows, but they did not come out.
We even called into the office and a staff member asked the Powells for their phone numbers so she could call them back.
To that, Kurstin responded, “You don’t need to call me back, just open the door and talk to us.” The woman on the other end said she would not open the door because the Powell family was “banging on the door.”
Kurstin said she was banging on it because they wouldn’t open it.
The staff made it clear they were not coming out, so we left, and went to where Curtis Powell is buried. We found the base of where the bench is supposed to go, and the words etched on it read, “We’re stepping out tonight.”
Curtis’ wife Norma explained the meaning behind the phrase.
“We loved to dance. We hand danced, and would dance three times a week. We were always stepping out to dance.”
In their living years they danced a lot. In those 35 years of marriage they had two children.
“We want this bench … so when I come here, I can see this bench, and I can remember and reminisce when we use to hand dance together.”
Norma and Kurstin are sad their grieving has been complicated with their dispute with Roosevelt Memorial Park to get the sentimental bench — which they paid for in-full — in a timely manner.
“We are not going to leave until we see the memorial bench we paid for,” Kurstin told the staff member who was still on the phone.
Cemetery management wouldn’t tell us where the parts of the memorial bench were, so we went looking for them and found them in a box in the maintenance area.
Norma and Kurstin were happy to find it. In the backrest, there is an inserted picture of Curtis and Norma hand dancing.
“Every chance we got, we would dance.”
As Norma remembers her love, and the dancing, she’s frustrated by the angst due to months of delay in delivery, but she credits the last letter she wrote.
“I wrote a letter to all the management to get answers. I sent out letters and coped you (10 On Your Side) and then suddenly Monday evening we were told the bench is apparently here… We had to literally track down my own bench until we got to you, and then I see when you were notified it seemed like everything was falling into place. I called on you and the next day the bench is here.”
And we are pleased to report we have a picture of the memorial bench that is now on-site resting where Curtis remains with the words, “We’re stepping out tonight.”