Paper: Brooke lies in unmarked grave

NEW YORK - Nearly four months after her death, socialite Brooke Astor's grave site remains unmarked, and untended, a newspaper reported yesterday.

Astor's plot at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Westchester County lies next to her husband's, but whereas his grave is marked with a stone, hers is not, the New York Post reported. Astor's plot is covered with leaves.

"We are dismayed that there is still no memorial stone," said Astor's grandson, Philip Marshall.

Marshall's 83-year-old father, Anthony, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to an indictment accusing him of preying on his Alzheimer's-stricken mother by looting her $189 million estate.

Ken Warner, an attorney for Anthony Marshall, said his client, who is responsible for Astor's burial arrangements, had ordered a pink headstone in honor of the grande dame of New York philanthropy.

"It took time to find a stone of suitable quality and of this color," Warner said. He added that no family members had contacted his client about the headstone.

"Contacting the media on this non-issue is a sign of malice, not an indication of any real concern or interest," Warner said.

Those who were close to Astor say that she should be remembered.

"The lady should have a statue put up in Central Park," said Scott Hamor, who tended her gardens at one estate.

Astor died Aug. 13 at the age of 105.

In the final year of her life, a nasty family feud over her care became fodder for the city's tabloids. *