Surrey cemetery open for Mother’s Day allows grieving families to visit loved ones

SURREY (NEWS 1130) – Lisa Dearmin’s mom is buried in Surrey at Valley View Cemetery. She’s thankful it’s open Sunday, because last year the closure came as a surprise.

“We actually drove around twice to flower shops looking to find the perfect flowers last minute, and spent quite a bit of time doing that, just to roll up to Valley View and find that they were closed,” she said.

With just a sign out the front saying it was closed, Dearmin was especially surprised last year, saying “It was pretty extreme. I mean, the stones themselves are so separated. It was so early on in the pandemic.”

"She never got to meet her grandson, so we like to bring him."

Lisa Dearmin says it's an "important moment for us" to visit mom's grave at Valley View Cemetery. Staff apologized last year for the closure for COVID-19 safety. #SurreyBC pic.twitter.com/sLM33jMSHo

— Tim James (@TimJamesPlus) May 9, 2021

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Dearmin said she loves to visit on Mother’s day so she can bring her son, who never got a chance to see his grandma.

“I tell him stories. I know he can’t understand at this point but eventually one day he will understand those stories, so that’s an important moment for us.”

Although declining an interview, Valley View Cemetery has apologized for last year’s closure.