As many as 20 brass memorial plaques have been stolen from the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) Memorial Garden at Sarnia's Centennial Park.
The plaques that memorialize loved ones who have died have hundreds of names on them.
VON spokesperson Remy Boulbol first heard about the thefts from a man who visited the park Sunday night and noticed a plaque with his brother's name on it was missing.
Boulbol said it's an atrocious crime.
"This is a beautiful place for people to remember," said Boulbol. "The idea that someone would steal this and take it, I mean I would just hate to see the shock of someone going out to see the memorial and it not being there."
Boulbol said steps are already being taken to replace the plaques, donations are being accepted, and the VON has reached out to affected families and friends.
"At the end of the day, if we find the plaques, that's great, but that being said we don't want any more time to go by. We're in the holiday season, it's a time that's already difficult, so we want to make sure that the memorial is a beautiful place for people to be able to go as soon as possible," said Boulbol.
In another theft, some downspouts have been reported stolen from Our Lady Of Mercy Church at the corner of Christina Street and London Road.
In the weekly bulletin, Parish Administrator Stephen Savel said someone also cut the ground cable for the lightning rod.
He said it couldn't have come at a worse time, with the parish trying to save money for the next phase of renovations at the Catholic Church.
Sarnia police are investigating both cases.
-With files from Lee Michaels
Plaques at Centennial Park. November 20, 2018. (Photo by Sarnia-Lambton Crime Stoppers)