MajorMike
08-20-2007, 01:18 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_6659811 (ARTICLE)
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2007/0818/20070818__20070819_B1_SP19PAIGE~p1.JPG
Williams' grave needs our help
By Woody Paige
Denver Post Staff Columnist
Article Last Updated: 08/19/2007 12:53:59 AM MDT
Cemetery worker Dennis Mabra mows the lawn near the Fort Worth, Texas, grave of Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams on Friday. The grave has only a temporary marker. (Post / Helen H. Richardson)
Fort Worth, Texas - The cemetery's most prominent white-marble figure, bearded and draped in a flowing robe, extends welcoming, outstretched arms.
The late-morning sun casts the statue's eerie shadow on the grave just behind.
Darrent Williams has Jesus' back. He still defends.
On Saturday, as the Broncos got psyched to play football, their starting cornerback of a season ago rested in peace 35 miles away.
Williams would have been, should have been, with them in Irving's Texas Stadium, not alone in Fort Worth's Laurel Land Memorial Park.
A young footballer and father was buried here on Jan. 6. A death too soon, too violent, too ugly to understand.
Three cemetery employees said they did not see anyone who looked like a football player or a coach at the grave site the past five days while the Broncos stayed in a hotel in a Dallas suburb. Helen Richardson, a photographer for The Denver Post, spent eight hours at the grave on Friday, and there were no other visitors.
The Broncos had practices and preparation, and maybe it was too difficult, logistically and psychologically, to make the pilgrimage to the graveyard and be reminded of the pain of a friend's sudden death at last season's end. They wear his and the late Damien Nash's numbers (27 and 29) on their helmets and have dedicated their season to the players' memory.
Williams' only companions Saturday were the vigilant Holy Man and an imperfect interloper from Colorado.
Several yards away, two men and a backhoe dug another hole in the ground.
Life and death proceed.
Williams' spot in the small "Christ Our Son" circle in the tasteful, serene cemetery cannot be described as a pauper's grave. But almost.
More than seven months after the funeral, the grave does not have a permanent headstone celebrating Williams' life or proper acknowledgment of Williams' death.
A modest temporary headstone, with disposable letters spelling out "Darrent Williams," was placed "as a favor," says Jeff Burtis, a family service counselor at the funeral home/cemetery. "We don't normally do that unless someone buys a permanent headstone. But we didn't want the site to be there without a name on it."
The headstone, which eventually must be removed to be used temporarily on another grave, is surrounded by a row of shrubs, a miniature American flag, a teddy bear, two groupings of artificial flowers and ... a snow globe and a "Love You Dad" cross (both apparently left by Williams' 7-year-old son Darius and 4-year-old daughter Jaelyn, who attended Saturday night's exhibition game between the Broncos and the Cowboys). There are no tributes to a fallen, local son or indicators of his brief time in the NFL.
The cemetery opened in the 1920s, and the oldest section features marks of respect to some who were born in the 1800s. Williams is the most well-known of those buried at Laurel Land (a name that, unfortunately, seems more suitable for a theme park or housing development), although the same week his body was laid to rest, a funeral was held on the property for the nephew of country singer Ernest Tubb.
Darrent's mother met with the players at Broncos practice on Thursday. Rosalind Williams and a sister go to the cemetery often, and she and Burtis have talked several times about a respectable headstone, accompanied by a Georgia-gray granite bench under the elm tree.
But there is no resolution, and there is a financial dilemma. Darrent Williams' house in Colorado is in foreclosure, and a majority of his money, whatever amount that might be, has not been made available to his mother or Tiara Leonard, the mother of his two children.
The Broncos' ownership and management purchased eight plots at the cemetery for the Williams family, at a reported cost of $30,000, and several of Williams' teammates are raising funds for a teen center in his name. Two of the Nuggets are arranging for the education of Williams' children.
Yet, there is no lasting headstone on his grave.
That's not right.
It's not right for anyone. You can't pass unknown and unloved.
Williams deserves better. He deserves more than a cheap, temporary headstone that will erode away or be taken away.
Burtis and his supervisor, Scott Nofziger, said that a nice, permanent, flat headstone, carved out of granite, would cost about $1,300; the granite bench featuring etchings of Williams in uniform, $4,000; and an upright headstone with his achievements and a few words about him, $1,800.
So many people in Denver have wondered what they can do.
We can get him a headstone and a bench for those who come to mourn his loss and praise his victories.
A dignified grave site for Williams would require about $7,000.
I will start with a $250 donation and open a specific bank account for the drive on Monday. If you would like to contribute $1 or $20 or $100, send a check made out to "The All Ready Fund" in care of me at The Denver Post, 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 600, Denver, CO 80202. The Post, the Broncos and the Williams family are not involved in this project, nor should they be. It's just Broncos fans and a writer trying to do a little good.
I will transfer the money to Laurel Land, and they will contact the Williams family to pick out the headstone and bench they want. Any remaining money will be given to the teen center fund drive.
If we raise the money for a Mile High Salute to Williams, a small notation will be added, by the cemetery staff, beneath the headstone: "Thank you, Darrent, from the Broncos fans. You were all ready." When Rosalind Williams dedicates the memorial, maybe she will mail us some photos.
On Saturday afternoon I set a bouquet of orange and blue flowers on Darrent Williams' grave. Now, it has a Broncos touch.
And the figure in white marble, the everlasting guardian for Williams, seemed to smile.
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2007/0818/20070818__20070819_B1_SP19PAIGE~p1.JPG
Williams' grave needs our help
By Woody Paige
Denver Post Staff Columnist
Article Last Updated: 08/19/2007 12:53:59 AM MDT
Cemetery worker Dennis Mabra mows the lawn near the Fort Worth, Texas, grave of Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams on Friday. The grave has only a temporary marker. (Post / Helen H. Richardson)
Fort Worth, Texas - The cemetery's most prominent white-marble figure, bearded and draped in a flowing robe, extends welcoming, outstretched arms.
The late-morning sun casts the statue's eerie shadow on the grave just behind.
Darrent Williams has Jesus' back. He still defends.
On Saturday, as the Broncos got psyched to play football, their starting cornerback of a season ago rested in peace 35 miles away.
Williams would have been, should have been, with them in Irving's Texas Stadium, not alone in Fort Worth's Laurel Land Memorial Park.
A young footballer and father was buried here on Jan. 6. A death too soon, too violent, too ugly to understand.
Three cemetery employees said they did not see anyone who looked like a football player or a coach at the grave site the past five days while the Broncos stayed in a hotel in a Dallas suburb. Helen Richardson, a photographer for The Denver Post, spent eight hours at the grave on Friday, and there were no other visitors.
The Broncos had practices and preparation, and maybe it was too difficult, logistically and psychologically, to make the pilgrimage to the graveyard and be reminded of the pain of a friend's sudden death at last season's end. They wear his and the late Damien Nash's numbers (27 and 29) on their helmets and have dedicated their season to the players' memory.
Williams' only companions Saturday were the vigilant Holy Man and an imperfect interloper from Colorado.
Several yards away, two men and a backhoe dug another hole in the ground.
Life and death proceed.
Williams' spot in the small "Christ Our Son" circle in the tasteful, serene cemetery cannot be described as a pauper's grave. But almost.
More than seven months after the funeral, the grave does not have a permanent headstone celebrating Williams' life or proper acknowledgment of Williams' death.
A modest temporary headstone, with disposable letters spelling out "Darrent Williams," was placed "as a favor," says Jeff Burtis, a family service counselor at the funeral home/cemetery. "We don't normally do that unless someone buys a permanent headstone. But we didn't want the site to be there without a name on it."
The headstone, which eventually must be removed to be used temporarily on another grave, is surrounded by a row of shrubs, a miniature American flag, a teddy bear, two groupings of artificial flowers and ... a snow globe and a "Love You Dad" cross (both apparently left by Williams' 7-year-old son Darius and 4-year-old daughter Jaelyn, who attended Saturday night's exhibition game between the Broncos and the Cowboys). There are no tributes to a fallen, local son or indicators of his brief time in the NFL.
The cemetery opened in the 1920s, and the oldest section features marks of respect to some who were born in the 1800s. Williams is the most well-known of those buried at Laurel Land (a name that, unfortunately, seems more suitable for a theme park or housing development), although the same week his body was laid to rest, a funeral was held on the property for the nephew of country singer Ernest Tubb.
Darrent's mother met with the players at Broncos practice on Thursday. Rosalind Williams and a sister go to the cemetery often, and she and Burtis have talked several times about a respectable headstone, accompanied by a Georgia-gray granite bench under the elm tree.
But there is no resolution, and there is a financial dilemma. Darrent Williams' house in Colorado is in foreclosure, and a majority of his money, whatever amount that might be, has not been made available to his mother or Tiara Leonard, the mother of his two children.
The Broncos' ownership and management purchased eight plots at the cemetery for the Williams family, at a reported cost of $30,000, and several of Williams' teammates are raising funds for a teen center in his name. Two of the Nuggets are arranging for the education of Williams' children.
Yet, there is no lasting headstone on his grave.
That's not right.
It's not right for anyone. You can't pass unknown and unloved.
Williams deserves better. He deserves more than a cheap, temporary headstone that will erode away or be taken away.
Burtis and his supervisor, Scott Nofziger, said that a nice, permanent, flat headstone, carved out of granite, would cost about $1,300; the granite bench featuring etchings of Williams in uniform, $4,000; and an upright headstone with his achievements and a few words about him, $1,800.
So many people in Denver have wondered what they can do.
We can get him a headstone and a bench for those who come to mourn his loss and praise his victories.
A dignified grave site for Williams would require about $7,000.
I will start with a $250 donation and open a specific bank account for the drive on Monday. If you would like to contribute $1 or $20 or $100, send a check made out to "The All Ready Fund" in care of me at The Denver Post, 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 600, Denver, CO 80202. The Post, the Broncos and the Williams family are not involved in this project, nor should they be. It's just Broncos fans and a writer trying to do a little good.
I will transfer the money to Laurel Land, and they will contact the Williams family to pick out the headstone and bench they want. Any remaining money will be given to the teen center fund drive.
If we raise the money for a Mile High Salute to Williams, a small notation will be added, by the cemetery staff, beneath the headstone: "Thank you, Darrent, from the Broncos fans. You were all ready." When Rosalind Williams dedicates the memorial, maybe she will mail us some photos.
On Saturday afternoon I set a bouquet of orange and blue flowers on Darrent Williams' grave. Now, it has a Broncos touch.
And the figure in white marble, the everlasting guardian for Williams, seemed to smile.