FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT MIGHT THINK THAT THE SUNNYSLOPE ISSUE IS “NO BIG DEAL” AND DOES NOT INVOLVE YOU. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT THINK I AM OVER REACTING OR JUST “NUTS” PLEASE CONSIDER A FEW THINGS. Corona citizens started the Sunnyslope Cemetery in 1892, for the benefit of everyone. It was not created to make money and it was not created as private property. The Sunnyslope Cemetery operated as a non-profit entity and it was just that. Until 1988, when the operations were turned over to Pierce Brothers Cemeteries and Mortuaries and it was placed under the management of one of their vice president’s Ron Mowry. The Press-Enterprise January 1, 1988 article is posted here. For 96 years, nobody made money managing the Sunnyslope Cemetery it belonged to the community. Mowry answered to a Board of Directors without any local representation. Instead of Sunnyslope Cemetery becoming the property of Pierce Brothers, somehow it has remained a non-profit association, still called the Sunnyslope Cemetery Association. The President of the Association is Ron Mowry. I met one of the members of the “Board of Directors” Karen Doran. I understand cemeteries need management. On-line I found the 2012 Form 990, available to the Public that all non-profit organizations must file. On page 7 of the Form of this public document, I found that Mowry was paid $43,077 and Doran $40,000. It is stated that they each averaged 30 hours per week at the Cemetery. That was 2 years ago $83,077 for management of that little cemetery. But that is not the only overhead as the form lists an additional $110,802 for salaries. I have posted the pages with the expenses. I know there is also a “Cemetery Director” and “Assistant Manager” currently employed at Sunnyslope. Remember this is for 2012. THE CEMETERY ESTABLISHED BY AND FOR THIS COMMUNITY IS NON-PROFIT???? This is not Mowry & Dorans only source of income. Here is a link to their website: doranandmowry They spend 30 hours a week in Corona and still have the time to manage 13 other cemeteries in Southern California. However, those are not non-profit cemeteries and Mowry and Doran are “consultants” so we now they must receive a fee. I am only supposing, but it would seem reasonable that fee for each location would approximate the fee from the only “non-profit” cemetery they manage. Again, this is my guess. Here is a fact. Ron Mowry makes the decisions concerning Sunnyslope Cemetery. No pictures, no release of records and no markers or crosses on Potter’s Field in the name of weed abatement. Mowery also sells lots of Sunnyslope property. About a dozen years ago, he entered a discussion for a large amount of acreage, by cemetery standards, with a local group. This group is comprised with people of faith. People that I respect, that have the rights of every Coronan to be buried at Sunnyslope Cemetery, as long as they can pay the bill. I have become friends with a key member of that organization. As everyone, this group has certain requirements for the burial of their members. Again, I respect that and we are together in our search for answers at Sunnyslope Cemetery. Not only the recent grading of Potter’s Field, but the long-term disappearance of crosses and markers would not have hindered any attempts to sell this property to this group. I do not know if Mowry engages potential customers as an employee of Sunnyslope Cemetery or as a licensed broker of cemetery lots. IT IS CERTAIN HE RECEIVES PAY AS AN EXECUTIVE OF SUNNYSLOPE CEMETERY. COULD IT BE THAT HE SELLS TO THE CUSTOMERS UNDER DORAN & MOWRY LLC, THUS COLLECTING A COMMISSION? Is this possible??? Do the decision makers at Sunnyslope, who together spend 60 hours a week devoted to Sunnyslope, created the situation at Potter’s Field and then made a commission on tens of thousands of dollars? ALL THIS UNDER THE GUISE OF A NON-PROFIT. CAN ALL THIS BE LEGAL? SO FAR, EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE OK WITH THE OPERATIONS AT SUNNYSLOPE. MY QUESTIONS ARE NOT ONLY ABOUT 600-800 MISSING BURIAL PLACES. IT IS ABOUT MUCH MORE. I AM VERY, VERY SORRY THAT FRED ELDERIDGE, THE “CORONA DAILY INDEPENDENT” IS NOT HERE TODAY TO EXPOSE AND MAKE THIS RIGHT. Sadly, right now, you only have me writing about it. But, I have many allies. Those of you here on Facebook, Dr. George Beloz, President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Bobby Spiegel, Director of the Corona Chamber of Commerce, Commander Eddie Romero, Joe Dominguez Post 742, family members of those whose graves have been defiled in Potter’s Field, families of Corona’s founders and more people than I can mention here. I hope this will make everyone in Corona upset. I hope it garners the attention of the IRS, the Attorney General, the District Attorney, every elected official that represents us and the media. Please help spread the word. Oh yeah, the Cemetery told one caller that asked for a map of Potter’s Field that they were putting one together. 25 yeas after they took over and a week after we asked about all the missing plots. And on their website mapping is a specialty. I am sorry the audio did not work on last night’s feed of the City Council meeting on either the television or discovercorona. I hope when they post it on the Corona site you will be able to see and here what we presented. No, I do not believe there was a conspiracy to silence our group that spoke, Dr. George Beloz, Norman Perez and me. Soon we will be scheduling a community meeting where we can all make plans to bring the Sunnyslope Cemetery into the hands of those that it was created for with the wish that it always serve this community.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 07:42:40 +0000
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