23 June 2011

Memorial Park Cemetery Devastated by Storm

One month ago I visited Memorial Park Cemetery in Battle Creek, Michigan for the first time.  I was looking for the grave sites of my great aunt and uncle, Victor and Adeline (Glover) Tyson.  I thought it was one of the most beautiful cemeteries I had ever visited.  There are lots of trees, a lake, and a waterfall.  There is a chapel mausoleum on the premises, too.  Each section is marked with names, mostly garden related:  Garden of Tranquility, Garden of Grace, Garden of Hope, Sunrise Garden, etc.

I had checked the Memorial Park Cemetery website before going and printed off a map and the plot numbers for my ancestors.  You can use the Burial Record Search for the names of those interred there.  The search function provides the garden letter and plot number.  You can access the map with all the gardens and their letters on the website by clicking the products and services tab, then the property pricing tab and the view map link.  There is an office at the entrance on West Territorial Road and I stopped in to ask where I might find the plots, but could have done it on my own with the map I had.  The very helpful women gave me a bigger map with all the plots laid out on it and circled the one I was looking for.  It was a very easy cemetery to look through. 

I easily found what I was looking for and decided to drive through the cemetery.  It is located on a very busy corner in Battle Creek, Michigan, (Helmer Road and W. Columbia Ave.) but you wouldn't know it.  It was very peaceful and quiet.  I loved all the huge trees.  Imagine my dismay, after a recent storm, when I saw the mess left from the storm.

Battle Creek, Michigan was hit with wind shears and tornadic swirls at a recent storm in late May.  I was on my way to the Meijer grocery store, which is across the street from the cemetery, and saw so much damage to the cemetery I was in disbelief.  Trees crashed into the fence, signs were blown into the cemetery from nearby businesses, and gravestones damaged.  Luckily, my ancestors gravestones weren't damaged.  Battle Creek is still cleaning up from the storm.  Here are a few pictures of the damage to the cemetery.  I am not sure the pictures truly depict the devastation to the back half of this cemetery.







2 comments:

  1. It truly is an awful year for storms. It's so sad to see this happen to any cemetery. I hope they can recover. The cemetery seems an absolute joy to work with from your description too! It's obvious they care!

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  2. (Cheryl, I have never seen a year like this. I am just thankful no one was injured in Battle Creek during this storm. I was crushed when I drove through and saw the damage. I am sure with a little work they will have it as beautiful as before soon. Brenda (posting as anonymous because of blogger issues!)

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