3 days ago Blane was the Director for my Father in laws…read morefuneral he was so compassionate friendly and very attentive to our needs. thank you so much for the beautiful service

We used gentry Morrisons last week for my Dad they are the greatest at making the arraignments and…read moremaking you feel at ease . Thank you Blane and staff for all that you do.

Shae and Bill took very very good care of everything! Shae took me by the hand at every step! Bill…read moreeven reached out afterwards to see how my family was doing! A heartfelt thank you to Shae Bill and the staff!

I had a great experience with setting up my future burial arrangements wit Kirk Maclin. He sent me…read moreall the information to make my decisions for me and my wife for when the time comes. Kirk answered all my questions and took the time to walk me through all the details so I could make the decision on the options I wanted. Prices were good and this took a lot off my mind so my wife and children did not have to deal with this in the future. Definitely would recommend asking for Kirk. Michael

The owners and family of Seigler Funeral home were very supportive, kind, and extremely caring to…read moremy friend Esteban Santos Jr. They were very attentive, knowledgeable and helpful during the shocking death of his father. Thank you, you will forever be in our hearts. God Bless

Hodges Funeral Home is professional, kind, understanding and provides an excellent service and at a…read morereason cost. My father's body was handled by them and everything was stellar and top notch. Same for my mother's body 17 years later. They really went out of their way to handle some complexities that arose. Troy, Katee, Jennifer- I rarely meet such decent individuals.

Very professional, transparent and reasonable. My father recently passed and we worked with Lindsey…read moreat Hodges. Every worker was professional and very respectful from the staff that picked up my father from his home to the staff helping with a private family viewing. They did not try to upsell and coordinated with us in having a casket delivered from an outside company. The facility, especially the chapel was beautiful and well kept. Thank you for your guidance during this difficult time.

Would highly recommend to anyone who wants 5 star compassion and service. The staff goes over and…read morebeyond.

Gapway Cemetery is a small, private (not city-owned) cemetery located at 1910 North Crystal Lake…read moreDrive, a very tight, winding road in the suburbs of Lakeland. It's squeezed between a residential neighborhood and a gated mobile home community. Some confusion arises about it's location due to it's sign out front stating the name and ownership. It is owned and maintained by the Gapway Baptist Church, which is located on North Combee, 4 miles north of the cemetery. They do a nice job of maintaining the cemetery. The chain link fence may be a bit rusty, but the grounds are always manicured and I have not seen any signs of littering. There is very little parking available. It is all grass and mostly roadside. Due to it's location on a curve, you must be extremely careful when you park or pull out because people do speed on North Crystal Lake Drive. The only entrance is immediately in the front, there is no entrance on the side or rear of the cemetery, so do not bother to try on the residential or mobile home area - you will be trespassing.

Besides serving as a final resting places, cemetery's are also great historical resources and bird…read moresanctuaries. I discovered this cemetery while I was out exploring. Oaklawn Cemetery is located between Avenues M and O Southwest in the city of Winter Haven in Polk County Florida. This neat and well tended cemetery is dominated in the center by a large mausoleum. The mausoleum is owned and maintained by the Morris family. It is very interesting architecturally and was the first modern mausoleum in Florida. The mausoleum and cemetery is the final resting place of some of Winter Haven's earliest residents including F.A.K. Harris, the first official resident of Winter Haven who bought the first property after the town was platted in 1883. The mausoleum was constructed by the Scott Morris Mausoleum Company. The current owner of the mausoleum is a great grandson of the founder of the company. The rest of the cemetery has beautiful trees and landscaping. Graves date back to the 1800's. It is very historic and peaceful.

What things aren't permitted y to be left at a loved ones grave? It seems as tho everything I leave…read morethere is gone when I return

The oldest cemetery in Bartow is Pioneer Oak Hill. It was not on city property and could not be…read moreenlarged because it was too close to downtown so in 1890 the citizens of Bartow made a deal to pay Thomas Pasco Carpenter $1.500.00 to purchase ten acres of land in order to create a city cemetery. It is believed that part of the land was already being used as an unofficial cemetery. The oldest burial may be that of John W. Towles who died in 1875. Pioneer Oak Hill only has Confederate Civil War dead but Wildwood contains people from both sides of the conflict. In the 1900's the cemetery was expanded to 40 acres. Burial of Black citizens in Wildwood began in 1975 and in 1984 the city redesigned and refurbished the cemetery grounds. This cemetery is most infamous for being the final resting place of Charlie Smith, "America's Oldest Man". According to his gravestone he was 137 years old when he died! Charlie recounted his life story during a 1978 episode of the television series Visions, titled "Charlie Smith and the Fritter Tree," According to Charlie he was born in Liberia in 1842, and at the age of 12 he was kidnapped by someone who convinced him that in America fritters grow on trees. After arriving in the United States he was sold into slavery to a Texas farmer who purchased him and named him Charlie Smith. The farmer treated him like a son and upon his death Charlie took his surname. Further adventures ensued when he joined the Union army, moved out West where he worked as a ranch hand, became a professional gambler, ran with the James Gang when they were chasing Billy the Kid, raised a family and ended up as a circus sideshow attraction. The records that have been discovered pertaining to Charlie Smith make it more likely that he was 105 when he died but don't let the truth get in the way of a good story. You can pay Charlie a visit in row 28 near the wall.