Rude message on dad’s gravestone appalls cemetery staff – but family know he’d love it

A rude secret message on a father’s headstone has sparked outrage among cemetery workers, but his family believes it’s the perfect tribute to his sense of humor

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Iowa: Cemetery upset over headstone with hidden message

A family wanted to humorously pay tribute to a beloved father by secretly writing an explicit message on his headstone, but cemetery staff didn’t think it was so funny.

While grieving the death of a loved one, the bereaved often wish to remember their fun, lighthearted side amidst their sadness, and such was the case with the Owens family.

After the death of father Steven Owens, his family secretly inserted his favorite “endearment term” into the headstone inscription, which at first glance looks like a fairly ordinary, touching memorial message.

However, if you look closely, you’ll find that if you add up the first letters of each line, you get a far more outrageous epitaph, with Steven allowing a final “f*** off” from beyond the grave.

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The Owens family say the message was intended as a harmless way to remember him, with Steven regularly using the term “F*** off” in a joking manner.

The marker reads “Forever in our hearts. Until we meet again. treasured memories. Known as. Our son, brother. father, dad, uncle. friend and cousin.”

Talking to the news channel WIBW, Steven’s daughter Lindsay Owens said: “It was definitely his tenderness. If he didn’t like you, he wasn’t talking to you. It’s just who he was.”

Unfortunately, staff at Warren Powers Cemetery in Polk County, Iowa, are reportedly not that enthusiastic about the unique memorial and have opposed it from the start.

Staff feel such profanity is inappropriate for a place of eternal rest, but the Owens family hopes the controversial headstone will remain there.

Steven’s son Zachary Owens added: “No one’s forcing anyone to come out and watch it. That’s a decision you make. We didn’t do it to offend anyone, make anyone angry or hurt anyone’s feelings.

“We did it because it was our dad and we love him, and that’s how we remember him.”

At the time of writing, it’s unclear if the Owens family will have no choice but to swap out the headstone for something more traditional.

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