After several years of planning, a Memorial Garden will be dedicated in Abingdon Square Park in New York City, to the memory of Adrienne Shelly, who was killed in 2006.

“This has been a long but very satisfying journey to honor my late wife in the park she loved so much, across from the building in which she lived for many years, worked and died.” said Shelly’s husband, Andy Ostroy,who helped design the memorial garden.

Ostroy chose to stock the plot with Nikko blue hydrangeas (symbolizing understanding)

Obedience, hardy and tolerant of clay soil. Symbolizes graciousness and strength.

Liatris, also known as Blazing Star, symbolizes love.

Campanula, also known as the Bellflower symbolizes gratitude.

and Nepeta, also known as catnip, is lemon-scented with heart-shaped leaves.

Shelly’s memorial garden will be dedicated with a memorial plaque on Aug. 3.

Founded in 1836, and re-opened in 2004, Abingdon Square Park is a tiny, luscious triangle in Greenwich Village. According to neighbors, the park seems almost holy, like a sacrament in the summertime.

The park is dominated by the bronze statue of a soldier holding a flag, the Abingdon “Doughboy,” was designed to “honor the brave men who went forth from this neighborhood to join the armed forces of the United States during the World War.”

Planning a memorial garden or tree dedication? Check out our memorial stones.

Occasionally, urngarden.com gets keyword searches for “what to wear to a memorial service” or “appropriate attire for a funeral.”  This costume was recently spotted at a David Carradine memorial fundraiser. Granted, Carradine’s death was on the spicy side, and she’s obviously putting the “fun” in funeral, but how about some respect for the family?

Here’s an example of what NOT to wear.

That is all. Thank you for letting us serve you.

Back in June, while trying to get ideas for Father’s Day, I ordered the Wolf T-shirt for my man. So he could feel the magic.

The only problem? I received a child’s size small.

Luckily, I have a man in my life that can wear it and he looks magical in it. However, shirts a little snug across his rippling chest.

This Celebrate Life announcement has been brought to you by:

Angel’s fans have rallied to honor the memory of Nick Adenhart, the rookie who was killed by a drunk driver earlier this year, on April 9, just hours after he pitched at Anaheim Stadium.

Fans have placed caps, homemade signs, personal messages and stuffed Rally Monkeys to honor Adenhart at the stadium and the “touching” memorial is still in place.

Domenica Niehoff

An artist’s design for the gravestone of Germany’s most famous prostitute has been rejected by the cemetery authorities for being too “slutty,” newspaper Hamburger Morgenpost reported Thursday.

Today’s Tip for better living: Enjoy your time-off.

We’ve talked with several families that are planning an ash scattering ceremony that centers around a golf theme. Some plan to spread a portion of the ashes on the golf course or have a memorial service at the club house.

For easy scattering, our scattering tube simplifies the process and the urn is completely biodegradable and safe for in-cabin air travel.

Sometimes they want to divide a small portion of ash between family members and want a golf-themed keepsake urn.Families that want a full-size adult urn for the funeral or memorial service, or for placement in a vault, or cemetery niche, our airbrushed golf urn is a popular choice.

Thank you for letting us serve you.

Courtesy of: Advertising is Good for You

Early on, the Jackson family stated that MJ absolutely would not be cremated.  Now,  rumors are swirling that the family is considering cremation and scattering Michael’s ashes at Neverland to avoid California red tape concerning previous plans for burial at the ranch.

Back in the day, cutting edge technology allowed our families to pose with the dear departed and record the moment for posterity.

Courtesy of Coilhouse

That idea faded and seems creepy now, but what about the background noise I heard this weekend? Snippets of  reality tv with the Jackson Family Show trying to coordinate a very public gold- plated memorial service.

Or the bit of a tattoo road show, featuring a gentleman who mixed a trace of his loved one’s ashes into the ink and had a portrait style memorial tattoo on his chest.

At the quieter end of the spectrum, one of our clients does design work in a memorial garden in upstate New York, had this good word to say about our personalized river rock garden stone.

“The H-stone — both the stone itself and the workmanship — is lovely and has become the new standard in our Memorial Gardens.”

See: James Brown Funeral.

Memorial Ideas.

Neighborhood Garden Memorials

Wishing you a happy and safe Independence Day!