HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-11-30, Page 17[Fr�cbm*o'. IAA
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Second section • November 30,1994
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NG MEMORIAL.
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Cemetery superintendent
Harry Knip (right) surveys
the geraniums already
potted in the greenhouse,
ready for planting next
spring. Above, the neat
appearance of the graves
and trees is a far cry from
when the cemetery was
called a "disgrace" at the
tum of the century. At
left is the plaque for the
tree planting program.
130 ears of Exeter history
arranging of cemetery services. A four -grave plot today.
costa42,193 fora tton4aaident.. _ . �_� _.. The business of runna 0a ,comehas changed
"k's much easier to pre -arrange for cemetery services drastically in 1°3l)'years, in fact It sr aht$l! tiiltch in
than do it at the time of a death," said Knip. In fact, the past couple of years with the int uction of the
some people even have their own tombstones carved province's Cemetery Act.
for the inevitable event. "Everything has to be documented. verything has
Still, Knip says many people are superstitious about to be in triplicate," said Knip, who now has a computer
planning funerals in advance, mainly because they fear on the desk in his newly -built office to keep track of all
they are "hurrying up the process". records.
Winter burials are now common at the cemetery. Purchases of perpetual -care flower beds , for $460
Heavy equipment can now dig graves through the are still popular to accompany many of the 80 or so bu-
frost, meaning the mausoleum, built in 1930 is now rials a year.
seldom used. Knip said that up to 80 percent of fam- "That's what makes the cemetery look so good," said
ilies were attending both the mausoleum service in the cemetery board member Andy DeBoer, noting there
winter, and were returning for the interment in the are some 1,400 beds at grave sites, each of which is
spring - making it hard on both the families and the ce- planted every year - presumably forever.
metery staff. All the flowers are grown in the cemetery's own
Presently, there are about 80 interments at the ce- greenhouses. Every May, they are transferred to the
metery each year. Even though cremation is a much 1,400 flower beds, giving the cemetery a burst of uni-
more common option these days, a survey of the older form colour. Knip wants to make sure cemetery is a
headstones suggests Exeter's death rate was a lot high- pleasant "quiet place" to visit.
er, claiming many more younger people, especially
children who were vulnerable to diseases easily cured
The Exeter Cemetery is a `silent city'
of 14,000, a memorial to past lives
EXETER - Over the past 130 years, Exeter . has
grown from a village of a few hundred people, to a
town of over 4,300. On the other hand, the Exeter Ce-
metery, in which the first burial - of 24 -year old Honor
Gidley - took place 130 years ago this December, has
grown to a "population" of some 14,000.
This "silent city", as cemetery superintendent Harry
Knip describes it, has come to represent an important
part of the town's past, its history, and ultimately its fu-
ture.
The cemetery has come a long way over the years.
Everything today is neatly trimmed and cared for - a
far cry from when this newspaper, in 1901 labeled the
cemetery "a disgrace to the community" where chick-
ens were allowed to roam free between the graves.
One of the newest programs at the cemetery is a me-
morial tree planting program. Families can choose
from eight varieties of trees, ranging from two to three
metres in height, to be planted in the cemetery for be-
tween $250 and $300. A large plaque marks each do-
nation and the family member it commemorates, and
each tree is dedicated at the annual Decoration Day
service.
Knip said there are two main reasons the cemetery
started the tree program a year ago. The first is "to
give people a chance to have a living memorial of a
loved one", he said.
The second reason is that the cemetery's present
stock of tall spruce trees is aging, some of them over
80 years old. The spruces, not being long-lived, will
have to be gradually replaced.
"It's a way for the cemetery to replenish its tree pop-
ulation," said Knip.
Another campaign for the cemetery is the pre -
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