D'IBERVILLE, MS - Eleven D'Iberville deceased citizens were laid to rest for the second time Friday.
The original tombs were damaged during Hurricane Katrina. Crews spent last week preparing burial sites at Quave Cemetery.
The new tombs were encased with 11 mausoleums early Friday.
Fortress Mausoleums, a Pascagoula business owned by Don and Faith Magallanes, were awarded the contract, which was funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
According to Don Magallanes, many emotional family members of the deceased gathered to witness the re-entombment. In fact, Don was in for an emotional day himself.
"I actually re-entombed my great aunt, Maggie Diaz," he said. "My mother always told me about my great-aunt Maggie and I never realized she was even buried in this cemetery."
He also ran into several cousins at the cemetery. It was like a family reunion of sorts.  
D'Iberville Fire Captain Jay Williams, who coordinated the project, said the city was thrilled with the work of the Magallanes.
"Don delivered everything he promised he would and made the process an easy one for the city," he said. "Restoration of this cemetery was very important to the community just like all the other areas that were damaged and in need of repair from Katrina."

Don & Faith stand with some of the caskets to be re-entombed. In all, 10 caskets were placed in new Fortress Mausoleums.

The Quave Cemetery is one of the oldest in the community, according to a representative with the genealogy department of the Jackson-George County Regional Library System. The oldest headstones date back to the early 1800s.
"The re-entombment of these individuals means one more step toward the recovery of our community," D¹Iberville City Manager Richard Rose said.
Williams estimates that the 11 bodies re-entombed Friday were all from the 1900s. The cemetery holds the remains of two centuries of Quaves, Seymours and Fourniers.
Rose added the generous donation of time and materials from Fortress Mausoleums was a blessing to the city. According to Don Magallanes, the business was contacted because several of their Fortress units survived the storm.
"There is a lot of heritage in that cemetery that is important to the community," Faith Magallanes said. "We really wanted to help restore the cemetery."
Don Magallanes added, M&M Trucking, owned and operated by Bobby and Debbie Mallett of D¹Iberville, donated trucks to haul the mausoleums on Friday.
Fortress Mausoleums was founded in 1998 with the sole purpose to manufacture, deliver and install mausoleums with the utmost regard for quality and customer satisfaction, anywhere in the world.
According the Magallaneses, Fortress Mausoleums are "built to last". Each unit is built with 5.5" thick steel-reinforced walls, the same material used to build bridges and dams. The Magallaneses developed and trademarked the Fortress.
The company has grown tremendously, Don Magallanes said.
"We do business in Pennsylvania, New York, all over the U.S.," he said. "But this was the most satisfying thing I have ever done. It feels good."
Faith added, "It feels like we did our part to restore something after the devastation of Katrina."  
To learn more about Fortress Mausoleums visit the company online at www.fortresspersonal.com or call the office at 669-3578.