Mausoleums are often solemn places designed to honor the dead. They often contain both traditional caskets and cremated remains crypts that have both.
Cecil Lawrence stated he hired McCleskey Mausoleums of Buford, Georgia, to inspect and make necessary repairs at Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Tennessee; however, as this company does not currently hold a license there, they would first need to become registered before working there.
Seasons of Life
Whether your loved ones’ caskets are interred here in the Garden Mausoleum or one of its lawn crypts (known as niches), nature’s seasonal cycle is a constant reminder of life. From winter’s barrenness, spring’s green buds, and summer and autumn’s colorful leaves, each season brings visitors incredible beauty, comfort, and peace.
At each season change, new light fills the mausoleum’s chapel-like an infusing tide of life. Its stony exterior of rough-faced gray Cold Spring granite (two types were used to achieve the desired sparkle) contrasts sharply with its luminescent interior; both features conjure images of an eggshell protecting its precious contents while showing their white core. This distinctive design feature can also be seen repeated at its apex ceiling as slit windows and in its curving white mosaic pattern at the entrance.
At Kensico Cemetery’s annual Memorial Day service in May 2018, the Garden Mausoleum was dedicated, marking its first aboveground burial construction in almost 100 years. Remarks by former Kensico presidents and board members, current employees and retirees, and representatives from other cemeteries were shared at this historic occasion. A live performance by members of Kensico Orchestra played Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on the Theme of Paganini,” along with lighting effects representing its symbolism, was also played live by members.
Guests were then taken on guided tours of the mausoleum, with lighting, music, and photographs honoring those buried at Kensico–including some of the over one million visitors who have come through its doors since its foundation–serving to emphasize how closely this memorial ties in with nature.
Garden of Peace
At the center of the cemetery sits this stunning aboveground community mausoleum featuring an obelisk that captures the changing seasons. This section was only recently constructed, so space is limited.
Angel of Peace Mausoleum blends contemporary design with classic architecture. A combination of Colorado Yule marble, colossal bronze sculptures, and natural lighting creates a majestic and dignified atmosphere. An additional feature is its personalized murals to honor loved ones who have departed.
Pauline (Polly) Underwood, a longtime peace advocate and member of Franklin County Master Gardeners, created the Peace Garden here. With friends’ help, she brought it into reality; Polly filled her garden with trees, flowers, and shrubs that bring color year round – in spring, tulips are bright pink against white cherry trees; summer brings lush greenery with blooming hydrangeas for shade; while autumn welcomes colorful clematis vines and rose of Sharon to bring welcome fragrance.
At Christmas, the garden becomes even more lovely with seasonal foliage and lighting, becoming a particular spot for families to gather and honor their loved ones. Additionally, this space can serve as an excellent place for prom pictures, senior portraits, and marriage proposals.
Lawn Crypts
No matter your preference for burial or cremation remains, our Garden Mausoleum provides indoor and outdoor “crypts” suitable for above-ground entombments of loved ones. Like mausoleums, these spaces usually come equipped with marble or granite covers so you can engrave the names and dates of those interred there.
Crypts can provide an economical option for multiple people who wish to be interred together, saving your family money as it eliminates the need to purchase various plots of land and dig graves separately. Furthermore, mausoleums offer safer ground burial alternatives as they prevent soil erosion that might compromise casket integrity.
Our garden mausoleums are in beautiful settings that make the experience genuinely relaxing and serene all year round. In spring, heirloom daffodils drift off historic iris, and tropical plants bloom; summer sees dramatic foliage unfold while winter brings evergreen beauty. This tranquil landscape offers the ideal spot to visit or find peace.
If you choose the Garden Mausoleum as your burial location, you may also wish to honor your loved one with a memorial on our Memorial Wall. This can be an exquisite way to commemorate their life while keeping their cremated remains together – the marble plaque will be prominently displayed for all to see at Lakewood Cemetery.
Niches
This memorial garden has multiple private nooks for visitors to linger and remember their loved ones. Tucked between a gas station and Autoroute 40 on Avenue des Perron lies this unexpected oasis, boasting lots of expertly maintained trees and landscaped grounds that create an environment conducive to meditation. After visiting, I suggest lunching across the street at Sainte-Croix at their Asian takeout counter, where their famous dumplings will certainly bring peace to any melancholy mood.
As fall and winter nears, gardens transition from lush abundance, varied textures, and vibrant color to a sparse chamber ensemble of deciduous plants, evergreen shrubs, persistent perennial flowers, and grasses – creating an elegant environment. When planning high-impact beds, you should keep this in mind: evergreen holly and chokeberry shrubs provide year-round color, while forsythia and hardy camellia offer spring blossoms as examples of examples that work.
Memorial Wall
As cremation has become an increasing trend, our Board of Trustees decided to create a special place for memorialization. As an artist by profession, George Arensberg designed and hand-etched our memorial wall. George meticulously made a dogwood tree that symbolized life throughout each season – spring daffodils and narcissus; summer flowers, fall colors, and winter evergreens all stand together beautifully in his artwork, which now adorns our Meditation Garden and bring spiritual comfort throughout all four seasons.
Woodside Mausoleum Complex offers several burial options for those wanting to be interred here, with its Garden of Peace providing space for both traditional casket and cremation burials, while its slanted memorial gardens feature locations suitable for plaques bearing names etched into granite plaques, plaques with floral tributes attached, religious symbols or service emblems or picture cameos of deceased loved ones engraved in bronze, as well as photo cameos to pay a final respects.
Crypts provide individual, companion, and family burial options above ground; indoor and outdoor opportunities called “crypts” offer space to remember loved ones with marble or granite covers that bear their names and birth/death dates engraved in marble/granite encasings. Should you wish to keep an urn with us or scatter their ashes instead, we have an attractive Scattering Garden offering natural settings for the memorialization of your choice.
Cemetery lawns offer a tranquil space for strolling and reflection. Paved walkways allow easy travel around the grounds without ever treading on grave sites, while Family Gardens feature low landscaped memorials interspersed in flower beds; Legacy Gardens feature four to ten individual family sites; Forest Glades offers segregated burial sections for up to 20 family units.
