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 When
visiting the HSLC, one can visit this cemetery by walking to the
back side of the building from the parking lot. Marilyn Wheat of the
HSLC was kind enough to sit down with Lincoln Daily News to provide
the Logan County community with some details on the cemetery.
This cemetery is not very new, as it was established
in 2012. The people who established the Forever Home Cemetery, as
their website states, “wanted to provide a final resting place for
pets and people while contributing to the financial solvency of HSLC.”
Wheat showed off a photograph of the people involved,
which included herself, Dan Bailey, Judy Conzo, Dennis Schraeder,
and Mack Turner. All of the money that the Forever Home Cemetery
earns goes back to the HSLC, which, as Wheat stated, is entirely
funded by contributions from members of the Logan County community.
These funds go to the materials needed, such as food, to take care
of the animals that live there.
When deciding whether or not to purchase a plot here, there are some
things to know.
Firstly, each plot is 3’ x 5’ and can contain the
remains of up to four people or pets, whose remains must be
cremated. Each plot costs $250, with a smaller additional fee for
Tom Larson’s work of opening up the plot. A memorial brick can be
purchased to honor the person or pet who has passed on. These
memorial bricks cost $45 and can be placed in the scatter garden or
can be taken home to be displayed there. Wheat also shared that
larger headstones can be purchased, but the HSLC does not sell
these.
If you wanted a larger headstone, you would have to
purchase it from somewhere else. Wheat also stated that plots with
larger headstones must be placed in the back row of the Forever Home
Cemetery Garden.
An additional option someone has is scattering their pets’ cremains
in the aforementioned scatter garden. Your pets' cremains can be
scattered around the decorative arch, bushes, and statue that are
placed there. There is a much smaller fee of $35 for this, and a
memorial brick can be purchased in addition to the scattering for
$75. The scatter garden itself has many memorial bricks that have
already been engraved and placed around it, but there are many open
slots for even more pets.
In addition to memorial bricks, the HSLC also
provides “grave markers, urns, benches,” and more. A bench has
already been purchased and engraved, which is placed near the
scatter garden.
People are welcome to visit the Forever Home Cemetery at any time,
even if the HSLC is closed. Wheat also stated that, while dogs and
cats are the only animals interred there now, all types of pets are
welcome. The cemetery and scatter garden are also not exclusively
limited to the members of Logan County. Wheat stated that someone
came from as far Delavan for committal services.
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The cemetery garden itself is very beautiful, with
many types of plants, and even a centrally located gazebo, which can
be reserved for services or celebrations.
While it was the middle of winter when Lincoln Daily
News arrived to take pictures, Wheat was kind enough to provide some
springtime pictures to show what these plants look like when they
are in full bloom. Wheat also shared that all of the trees and
plants in the Forever Home Cemetery were planted by her and her
husband, Dan.
Anyone who has lost a pet can understand the pain
that comes with it. Pets become a part of our family, and we give a
piece of our hearts to them when they’re alive that they take with
them once they pass. Memorializing our furry (or not furry) family
members can help us cope with the pain of their passing and make it
feel like they are still with us in a way.
The service the HSLC offers help people cope with the loss of their
loved ones while helping the no kill shelter to continue to provide
other great services in the county.
If you are interested in any of the committal services that the HSLC
provides, you can contact them at (217) 737-4042 for more
information. You can also find ways to donate to the HSLC here -
Donate | Humane Society
of Logan County, Illinois (hslclincoln.org) including monetary
donations and wish list items.
[Photo art by Randy Washam, other
photos by Boutcher and Wheat]
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