Family paid over $1,500 for matriarch's headstone a year and a half ago, but it has never come

EVERGREEN PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- It has been over a year, and a family is still waiting on a headstone they ordered – something they need to honor their loved one properly.

They are not the only family either. Countless Yelp reviews and Better Business Bureau complaint reference similar problems.

CBS 2's Sabrina Franza sought out to get to the bottom of it Thursday night.

St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleums in Evergreen Park is the final resting place for many – each marked by a stone. Except one.

Barbara Blennerhassett was a matriarch in her family. She had four kids, eight grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.

"She was a wonderful woman," said JoAnn Blennerhassett, her daughter-in-law.

Barbara Blennerhassett passed in January 2022. Her family ordered a headstone in her honor.

They still don't have it. They also feel stuck in a cycle of grief.

"She was just a kind, kind woman - very nice, gentle soul - and yeah," said Ashley Blennerhassett, Barbara's granddaughter. "Miss her a lot."

The family ordered the headstone from Gast Monuments. It cost them $1,520.

After months, JoAnn said: "We never heard we never heard from them. They never said anything."

We tracked down Gas Monuments – first stopping at their Des Plaines office. We finally caught up with them by phone and arranged a meeting.

"We've not been in business for over a century – in my family, our lineage - to take somebody's money and run," said Katie Gast of Gast Monuments. "It would serve us no benefit."

We asked how long it usually takes to deliver monuments.

"Depends on the piece," said Gast. "It could take a few weeks. It could take, you know, a year."

The Blennerhassetts' case is over a year old.

"For that particular case, I know their stone is ready for delivery to the cemetery, and I know we're having issues in delivering that memorial," said Gast.

We asked if Gast Monuments would contact the Blennerhassett family to resolve this issue.

"Yeah, I absolutely will call her immediately and let her know," said Gast.

Later, Gast Monuments did just that. They said the rules at local cemeteries delayed delivery – and added that the pandemic contributed to longer production times.

"We have ordered another headstone from another company," said JoAnn Blennerhassett.

That headstone is supposed to be delivered in a few weeks.

Gast offered to issue a full refund if the new memorial had already been produced.

"Without her headstone there, you know, it's not complete," said JoAnn Blennerhassett.

The Blennerhassetts just want their mother, and grandmother, to be honored properly. To them, that means a headstone – manufactured by someone that is not Gast Monuments.