A Surprise, Arizona, woman remains locked in a dispute on Memorial Day with her current homeowners’ association (HOA) management company over a tribute to her beloved brother killed in Iraq, according to local news station Arizona’s Family.
Kendall Rasmusson faces new demands to remove patriotic decorations from her property, including a magnetic poster honoring U.S. Army Sergeant John Kyle Daggett who died in May 2008. The homeowner previously encountered a similar dispute with a former HOA in 2018.
Newsweek reached out to the Arizona Association of Community Managers via email and Rasmusson via LinkedIn on Monday for comment.
Why It Matters
Approximately 75.5 million Americans live in a community that’s governed by an HOA, representing more than 30 percent of the U.S. housing stock, according to the Foundation for Community Association Research.
The dispute raises critical questions about community governance limits when personal tributes intersect with aesthetic regulations.
What To Know
Daggett was 21 when he died in May 2008 after a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) struck his Stryker vehicle during combat operations in Iraq, according to his family.
For over a decade, Rasmusson says she has maintained various tributes at her Desert Oasis community home, including a garage door poster reading: “Freedom is not free, Remembering my brother, Sgt. John Kyle Daggett. Sept. 30, 1986, to May 15, 2008. US Army Airborne Ranger.”
The current dispute mirrors a 2018 battle with the previous HOA management company, which initially fined Rasmusson $500 for the same display. After an online Change.org petition garnered over 1,100 signatures, that company eventually permitted the memorial during multiple patriotic holidays including Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day. The arrangement allowed Rasmusson to maintain displays within a grace period system between approved holidays.
However, on May 7, 2025, a new HOA management company sent Rasmusson a letter classifying her tribute as a “nuisance,” comparing it to “dead plants, dead trees and bushes,” Arizona’s Family reported. The management company claims the poster has been displayed for several months, categorizing it as a permanent exterior feature rather than temporary holiday decoration.
Current HOA rules permit decorations 30 days before holidays and require removal 10 days after.
What People Are Saying
Homeowner Kendall Rasmusson told local station Arizona’s Family: “My brother really loved his country, and I’m very proud, and that’s really the point. It’s been interesting navigating life without him.”
Neighbor and Suprise community member Bob Miller said he supports Rasmusson’s display, telling Arizona’s Family: “I think they should be able to keep it up and honor the person that they have.”
In a follow-up email sent to Rasmusson on Friday, the HOA management company said their intention was: “Not to cause frustration or overlook the significance of the display” after she posted about the dispute on a neighborhood group page on social media.
What Happens Next?
The resolution likely depends on whether current management will honor the 2018 precedent that allowed the display during patriotic holidays, or if Rasmusson will need renewed community advocacy to maintain her brother’s memorial.
Rasmusson maintains she regularly takes down and replaces displays between approved holidays.
The post HOA Orders Woman Remove Memorial Day Display in Honor of Veteran Brother appeared first on Newsweek.
