At Newhall’s Eternal Valley cemetery, one mother keeps a special promise, rain or shine.
“I try to be here every day. Even when it’s raining. I even have a rain suit in the back of my truck,” said Marisel Rams, mother of Gabriel Quintas, who is buried at Eternal Valley Cemetery.
Rams makes the drive from Palmdale to Eternal Valley every day, because this is where he was buried. Gabriel passed away when he was 17 years old, in December of 2023.
“I’m just completely devastated, Gabriel my son, was my everything. I feel a bunch of mixed emotions. Sometimes I’m angry. It just hurts,” said Rams.
In her grief, she clings to the only thing she can still care for: her son’s resting place. But what she found one day left her in shock.
Before his headstone arrived, Gabriel’s photo, temporarily marking his plot, was found in a dumpster. On another occasion, his decorations were found discarded on top of another person’s grave. When Marisel emotionally reacted and demanded answers from the cemetery’s general manager, Noelia Marin, she was met with a restraining order.
Her pain is shared by other families who have also voiced concerns, like mishandled decorations and dead grass due to watering system issues.
Despite the pain, Rams still shows up. She polishes Gabriel’s name, not just with care, but with love.
We reached out to General Manager Noelia Marin for a statement but did not receive a response.
