The White Rose Cemetery is a non-sectarian cemetery owned and operated by the City of Bartlesville. A Cemetery Board oversees its operations. The Board has adopted the following Rules and Regulations, and with the approval of the City Council, reserves the right to amend rules when deemed proper.
Care of lots
The City shall direct all improvements within the grounds and upon all lots and graves, before and after interments. The City shall have charge of the planning, sodding, surveying and improvements. No person other than representatives of the City of Bartlesville shall be allowed to perform any work on any grave or lot within the grounds.
Flowers, plants, summer wreaths or baskets on lots and graves are not permitted except on Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’ s Day, Memorial Day, Veterans’ Day, and Christmas Day. The same shall be removed within ten days of placement. Winter wreaths or blankets will be removed March 1 of each year. All work, planting, and digging on any lot or grave is strictly prohibited. Cut flowers may be used at any time. Absolutely no wire or glass may be used in floral arrangements. No enclosure, trellis, bench, chair, or structure of any kind is permitted around any grave or lot. No lot may be raised above the established grade. The City has the right and the duty to remove trees, shrubs or plants, or any parts thereof, which become detrimental to any lot, stone or avenue. It is illegal to break or injure any tree or shrub, mar any landmark, marker or headstone, or in any way deface the grounds of the Cemetery.
Disinterments
Disinterment arrangements must be made through a funeral home. When a removal is to be made from a single grave to another grave therein, the formerly occupied single grave space and all rights therein revert to the City. If no steel or concrete vault has been used for the original interment, one must be furnished. If there is a steel or concrete vault, and it is in movable condition, the charge for opening and closing must be paid in advance to the City. Any removal shall comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
Funerals and fees
The City must be notified 24 hours prior to the announced time of a funeral. Sunday or holiday funerals will not be permitted, except in cases of death from a contagious disease or in cases of extreme emergency. Saturday burials shall be charged at three times the normal fee.
A late charge for closing of graves shall be assessed for all funeral processions leaving the Cemetery after 4:00 p.m.
A fee schedule for the Cemetery is available at the White Rose Cemetery Office,600 S. Johnstone Ave., Bartlesville, OK 74006.
Burial spaces and interments
All lots and sections of the Cemetery shall be held, used and occupied exclusively as burial sites for the interment of human remains. Only one interment shall be permitted in any grave, except in the case of parent and infant. With cremations, up to four urns may be permitted in one burial space.
Infant space shall mean burial space in Block 6, Lots 59 82; infant spaces are considered to be one-half the normal adult space. Infant shall mean babies less than one year old. Burial spaces can be purchased only with the written approval of the City Clerk and shall be subject to the rules and regulations of said Cemetery. All agreements for the purchase of Cemetery burial spaces must be on the form approved by the City Clerk. Burial spaces cannot be conveyed without the consent of the City Clerk. The owner of the burial space(s) may dispose of same by will. If the owner dies intestate, the burial space(s) will descend to the heirs according to the laws of descent of the State of Oklahoma. All interments, including cremains, at the Cemetery must be made in an outer receptacle, which must consist of steel, fiberglass or concrete vault or any other similar material approved in advance by the City. It shall not be the City’s responsibility to place the vault in the open grave.All caskets to be placed within the Mausoleum must conform to the size of the crypt provided. Inside dimensions for single crypts is 24 by 29. Double crypts contain two single crypts, 24 by 29 each, with an outer marker covering both. Triple crypts contain three single crypts with an outer marker covering all three. The City reserves, and shall have, the right to correct any errors. In the event an error shall involve the interment of the remains of any person, the City reserves, and shall have, the right to remove and transfer such remains, following City and State procedures.
Headstones and markers
All headstones and markers must be of granite or bronze and shall be mounted permanently on a concrete, granite or bronze pad with a four (4) inch wide border on all sides. One headstone will be permitted on one grave space, with the exception of a government marker. A companion or family headstone may be set to embrace two (2) or more grave spaces. All headstones and their placement must be approved by the City prior to installation at the Cemetery. Use of urns or vases must be approved by the City.
Symbols, such as Faith, Hope, and Love, as well as religious symbols, such as the Cross or Star of David, and emblems of Fraternal and Military organizations contribute to the significance of the headstone. Epitaphs decidedly add character to a headstone. It is, therefore, recommended that symbols, epitaphs, and historical inscriptions be used whenever possible.
Any person, firm or corporation other than an employee of the City engaged in placing, erecting, or repairing any headstone on the Cemetery grounds must be bonded and shall be deemed a contractor.
If any headstone or memorial or any inscription to be placed on same is determined by the City to be offensive, the City shall have the right to remove the offensive or improper object(s).
White Rose Cemetery grounds hours are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The City shall take rational precaution to protect owners, within the Cemetery, from loss or damages from causes beyond its reasonable control, and especially, from damages caused by the elements, an act of God, common enemy, thieves, vandals, strikers, malicious mischief-makers, explosions, unavoidable accidents, invasions, insurrections, riot or order of any military or civil authority, whether the damage be direct or collateral other than as herein provided. The City shall appoint a representative for the purpose of maintaining the Cemetery, for openings and closings of all gravesites, for Mausoleum care, and enforcing rules and regulations. Any person found on the grounds after dark will be considered a trespasser. All applicable City, State and Federal laws shall be observed and enforced.