Cemeteries hold the history of a community and the Page Jackson Cemetery is a treasure trove of…read moreAfrican American history in Sanford, Florida. You can find it down a dirt road behind Lakeview Cemetery. The cemetery bears the name of a local farmer named William Page Jackson who would stop to wave at the funeral procession when they passed by his celery field, which was adjacent to the cemetery. As time went by, the deceased was said to be sent to Page Jackson and the cemetery began to be called the Page Jackson Cemetery. This Cemetery is the final resting place of former slaves and the black pioneers and veterans from the Civil War, WWI, and WWII of Sanford. It served as the primary cemetery for Goldsboro, a historically Black community that was later annexed by Sanford but it is believed that some of the graves may go as far back as the 1700's. Folk artist and author Zora Neale Hurston spent her childhood in Goldsboro. The cemetery has two separate sections. The first nine acres are generally well maintained but the back six acres are unattended. Many of the graves in the overgrown underbrush have been lost. One of the more famous graves here is that of Drew "Bundini" Brown. Brown was born in Midway and grew up in Sanford. He was a cornerman for heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali. Brown came up with many of Ali's legendary quotes like "float like a butterfly sting like a bee." Zora Neal Hurston's family plot is here as well although she is buried in Fort Pierce. Disputes over who actually owned the cemetery through the years led to neglect as it was considered both city and county property. In the city owned section, of the approximately 3,800 burials, only 800 of them are marked. The City of Sanford took over care of their parcels since 1998. For years the Central Florida Cemetery Project has been helping to find graves and maintain the cemetery. While they have restored much of the city owned portion the other three parcels of the cemetery is privately owned by the Goldsboro West Side Community Historical Association They have been requesting state and federal funds to restore their portion. There is a Facebook page dedicated to the history and cleanup efforts of the cemetery.

There is an abundance of Florida history in Longwood and some of it can be found right here in the…read moreLongwood Memorial Gardens Cemetery. The City of Longwood owns and operates the five acre Longwood Memorial Gardens, a municipal cemetery. The cemetery was established in 1957 but it has been used for burials since the 1880's. Longwood pioneers who were laid to rest here include members of the Henck, Searcy, Entzminger, Hartely, Hooker, and Clouser families. Notable burials include Longwood town founder Edward Warren Henk and his wife Mary, Charles H. Muir a Major General in WWI, Josiah B Clouser a Union Civil War veteran and recognized by the State of Florida as a Great Floridian for his pioneering contributions to Central Florida's development, and John Neill Searcy one of the original town settlers and the man who donated the land for the cemetery. The oldest burial is believed to be that of William B Holeman (Jan 10 1797-Oct 21 1880). The oldest section is the northwestern quadrant. The southern half of the cemetery was added in 1957 along with other improvements such as the paved pathway. The southern section has flat grave markers. The peaceful pathways, beautiful landscaping, brick entrance, and fountain add to the the serene ambiance of this well maintained resting place for the community of Longwood, Florida.

A small cemetery next to the Candyland Sports Complex. I saw a grave from the 1920's and a couple…read morefrom the first decade of the 1900's. I also saw the inevitable grave of an infant child laid to rest by his parents. The mother's headstone said "beloved mother and grandmother" so fortunately theory were other children and eventually grandchildren.

Oviedo Cemetery: The Oviedo Preservation Project hosts an Annual Twilight Tour of the Oviedo…read moreCemetery. This year it is Sunday, October 27, 2019 from 6-7pm. The Oviedo Cemetery is small and located across the street from Oviedo High School. The cemetery is owned and operated by The First United Methodist Church of Oviedo. The Twilight Tour is a one hour Oviedo historical tour with actors in period costume. It's not a ghost tour. The tour is free and $3 donations to charity are accepted. The tales include the civil war, celery, snakes and other surprising stories. You get into a group when you arrive then you rotate around to the different actors stationed at the gravestones. We enjoyed the tour last year. . Note: The cemetery is normally closed at night due to vandalism/theft.

I have nothing but the highest praise for Baldwin Fairchild Funeral Home at Oaklawn. The entire…read morestaff was always warm, helpful, and considerate and the services offered eased our mind and put us at rest. Friends and neighbors raved about the setup, arrangements and facilities. My family will be eternally grateful to Ashley Raphael, Nadia Roopnarine and the entire staff for their help and sympathetic understanding in preparation for a cremation and celebration of life in August 2024.

Flowers fountains and…read moreashes The Oakland Memorial Cemetery is a lovely place that rambles across several acres of very well kempt graves and memorials. Lots of flowers and personal grave sites, it's a very different place from northern cemeteries because many of the graves are actually cremations or vaults with the bodies held above ground. The different sections are well marked and one of the most poignant is called "Baby Land' that has the graves of the very young. An different and interesting graveyard to walk around and visit. A beautiful cemetery that is peaceful and reflective.

Had my husband "C" today and Tiffany Sesenton is such compassionat, kind and sympathetic. Such a…read morewonderful person who assisted my husband. She really took care of my husband , very gently. Thank you so much, Tiffany! I appreciate you!

I have been to Newcomer many times during the past 10 years. While not the happiest place to be,…read moreNewcomer offered excellent support and service. The viewings and cremations have all been respectfully performed in a very peaceful and comforting manner.

Everybody's gotta wind up somewhere, and a condo on the top floor was the perfect solution. The…read moregathering space is air-conditioned and climate controlled. There are tables for memorials to show off your memories of times gone by. We know our final resting place will place us head to head until we meet again. Easy access and plenty of room for memorial service. Good News, this building is about to become renovated and will soon be twice the size. Things are looking up at DeLand Memorial Gardens.

Since day one, when the journey started all the way to the end, Ivan was really helpful and…read morecompassionate. He is a real blessing, guide us through the whole process, he stayed in communication all the time. Informing us everything that was happening. Thanks to the staff specially Ivan for all that you did. You are angel. God Bless.

The compassionate staff at Waldon Funeral Home made dealing with the loss of our loved ones a…read morelittle more bearable. We appreciated their professionalism and very clean facility. Their funeral packages are competitive and affordable, which is also why they gained our business.

My best friend of over 25 years passed at home in Eustis, FL Nov. 2, 2023…read more Her daughter had to rapidly find a funeral home to pick her up as she had just started Hospice care. Found Allen J Harden and they came and picked up their loved one. The next morning they met with them and the cost for direct Cremation was double what the area standard going rate is, so they decided to have her moved to a different Funeral home and willing to pay for the pick up the night before they asked how much they owed for the aforementioned and were charged $799.00 which is 3/4 of what the 2nd funeral home charges for the complete service of Direct cremation. This Borders on Criminal but definitely is taking advantage of the family at a time of need. SHAME ON YOU!!!!

I was very pleased with how well Ashley was able to help me, with planning the future. I was so…read morecomfortable and relaxed. A beautiful place for love ones. I highly recommend. No pushy sales. Real hometown people. Connie H.