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Toledo Memorial Park: One of the Area’s Best Kept Secrets
Sojourner’s Truth Staff
“It is the best-kept
secret in area cemeteries among the African-American
community,” says Diane Lamb, recently appointed family
service advisor at the Toledo Memorial Park in Sylvania.
“From a cost standpoint, it is an exceptional value,” she
adds.
Toledo Memorial Park sits
on 380 acres in Sylvania straddling the Ohio/Michigan
border. A non-profit association, the park has been in
existence for nearly 100 years – founded in 1922 – and is a
full-service cemetery, offering in-house financing for up to
60 months – interest-free financing without credit checks.
The park is open
year-round from dawn to dusk for family visits or for
recreational purposes for joggers, bikers or dog walkers,
for example. Non-sectarian and non-denominational, Toledo
Memorial Park is wholly owned by the grave owners and
managed by a board of directors. All proceeds go back into
the upkeep of the park.
The park is not just a
burial ground, however. The staff is especially proud, says
Lamb, of the events they conduct throughout the year, most
of which honor the many veterans in the park. Approximately
10 percent – about 1,400 – of those buried in the park are
veterans.
The park holds a December
tree lighting ceremony, a Memorial Day flag placement, a
Wreath Across America program and a car show to support
veterans. And the signature structure in the park is an
85-feet tall Veterans Memorial Tower in honor of the many
who have served their country in any number of ways.
The range of services the
park offer is complete, says Lamb – traditional burial,
cremations, tombstone design, above ground tombs and, for
pet lovers, a separate burial area for non-human members of
the family.
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