A “grave” offense is going viral on social media.
An Iowa gravestone became the center of controversy after a hidden joke was uncovered by cemetery staff.
The quote on Steven Paul Owens’s gravestone is offensive, according to staff at the Warren-Powers Cemetery in Polk, Iowa.
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“FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
CHERISHED MEMORIES
KNOWN AS
OUR SON, BROTHER,
FATHER, PAPA, UNCLE,
FRIEND, & COUSIN”
The message may appear harmless at first, but it has a clear message for onlookers.
“F*** OFF,” the first letter of each line spells out.
Owens’s family was aware of the message and said it was a favorite phrase of Steven’s, according to a report.
“It was definitely his term of endearment,” his daughter said. “If he didn’t like you, he didn’t speak to you. It’s just who he was,” his daughter said.
The cemetery appears to disagree.
Swearing has no place in an eternal resting place, staff argued.
“No one’s forcing anyone to come out and look at it,” Owens’s son said. “That’s a choice that you make. We didn’t do it to offend anyone, make anyone mad or hurt anyone’s feelings.”
“We did it because it was our father, and we love him, and that’s how we remember him.”
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The gravestone is still standing, the report noted.
