Gainesville's Alta Vista Cemetery gets $25K from Texas woman's estate

In what's a bit of a mystery, Alta Vista Cemetery in Gainesville has received a $25,000 donation from the estate of a Texas woman.

 

Gainesville's Deputy Director of Public Services Todd Beebe told Gainesville City Council members at their Thursday morning work session that his office had received a letter from the attorney handling the estate of Dolores Irene Dobbins of Texas. The letter indicated the donation would be made in memory of David E. Twitty, who died in 1978 and was buried at Alta Vista. Beebe said they have no idea what the connection is between the two.

 

"We really don't know," Beebe said. "She has no relatives that we're aware of, so we couldn't investigate. She also had five other cemeteries listed in her will."

 

Beebe said the city already has the check in hand from Dobbins' estate, but legally, city council must vote to accept the gift before it can be deposited.

 

"We'll put it in our perpetual care fund and that just goes back to the care of the cemetery for plants, flowers, upgrades - any way that we want to use it and care for the city cemetery," Beebe said.

 

He said the estate did not require the donation to be used for Twitty's grave only, but is a donation for general use on the cemetery grounds.

 

Gainesville City Council has placed the item on the consent agenda for the meeting Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m.