TAMPA, Fla. — Sandra and John Lallemand are on a mission.

“He’s not giving up,” Sandra said.

They live in Dade City and recently completed Sandra’s family tree in order to track her lineage.

In that research, they found out that her grandmother, Elizabeth Jones, was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Tampa.

The question is, where?

What You Need To Know

  • The city of Tampa is putting in measures to protect city cemeteries from future development

  • These new measures will help preserve cemeteries and gives the city the ability to apply for certain grants
  • The city owns five different cemeteries

“She died in 1919 and I just thought someone should pay attention that she lived,” Sandra said.

So, they decided to make the drive to this spot and came across someone with the city who decided to help them track down Elizabeth’s final resting place.

It’s a mystery Sandra is happy to try to solve, and it helps that for the last century, the cemetery has remained in the area and has preserved a peaceful spot for those who’ve died.

“I love looking at old cemeteries and see these people actually lived,” she said.

And, thanks to the city, that will be something she can do for the foreseeable future. 

Recently, the city council approved new policies in the city's comprehensive plan that will restrict future development for all the cemeteries that are owned by Tampa, like the one at Woodlawn.

On top of that, they’re working to preserve the cemeteries even further to make sure the memories of those who are buried there live on.

“It’s history and I hope they don’t move anything or change things,” Sandra said.

That is how the city is responding in the hopes that while things may change around town, spots like these stay the same.

Because without that, the Lallemands wouldn’t have been able to locate Sandra’s grandmother.

“It gives you, kind of, comfort to know where she’s at,” she said.

And comforting for her to know that the search is over and that she can now bring other members of her family to see a spot of their shared history that will be protected for years to come.

According to the city of Tampa, these new additions to the city’s comprehensive plan help the city get historic designations while giving them the ability to apply for certain grants.

The city owns five different cemeteries, including Woodlawn.