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.

Kersey's has been there for us during some very heartbreaking & sad times. We have always been…read moretreated with nothing but the utmost respect & dignity.

Go at your own risk! Absolutely ridiculous, no mask mandate, some signs that no one pays attention…read moreto! No social distancing whatsoever! At a COVID-19 funeral? I'm guessing they are looking for more business? I literally threw up in my car due to the disgusting lack of respect for people who don't want to die! I called beforehand And the only bright spot"The receptionist"told me they did follow cdc guidelines, I believe she thinks they do,They do not, spoke to one of the directors who said they absolutely do not practice any social distancing, they had signs but she certainly was not going to ask anyone to wear them! Disgusting!

My brother in law passed away a few weeks ago I had completed paperwork with them a few months…read moreprior , everything went smoothly Maria was very kind and caring the whole process when they arrived the gentleman just stood there with his arms folded and asked us if we wanted anymore time he was so respectful they treated us all with dignity and loving care for my brother in law he deserved the best and thats what we recieved. They helped me through any help I needed when we recieved him back it was the most beautiful urn I can't thank them enough for the loving support they gave to us all God Bless them our experience was perfect Thank you everyone for the most perfect ending to my brother in laws life

If you are looking for a funeral home, PLEASE read this before you choose Oak Ridge Funeral Care…read more The inept, inexperienced and lazy people there provided the absolute WORST EXPERIENCE for my father-in-law's death and for our family. My father-in-law UNEXPECTEDLY passed away right before Thanksgiving and the people at this funeral acted like it was the HUGEST inconvenience that they were required to provide assistance for our family. They treated any questions we had with annoyance and lack of care. For a business that is built around care and empathy, this funeral home has absolutely none!

Socrum Cemetery is quite possibly the oldest cemetery in Polk County, vying with Fort Meade down…read moresouth. It is on the property of Bethel Baptist Church and is run and maintained by them. They do a lovely job; it's very clean and manicured with nighttime lights and cameras to deter vandals. The cemetery is in two sections, divided by Socrum Loop Road. The portion across the street from the church has a drive-thru with gates that are open in the daytime. The portion that is on the church side is open during the same hours, but you must park in the church lot and walk over. The oldest graves, containing the settlers of Socrum, are located nearest the brick building in the front - the 2nd church built in 1856. (The original wooden church no longer exists and they now use a more modern church located in the rear.)

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.

This is a lovely old cemetery hidden deep in the heart of Mulberry, FL, south of Lakeland. Like…read moremany old cemeteries, it has its troubles and they are trying to fix them. When I went to find it, I was searching for a Prairie Cemetery or a Bone Valley Cemetery; people call it many things. When I arrived, I found a brand new sign with the name "Laurel Hill Cemetery" and "No Trespassing" signs everywhere. I even saw a sign stating there was a security camera. Since part of this cemetery bordered on a neighborhood, I decided not to take any chances and called the first phone number on the sign. I spoke to a pleasant lady at the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, who owns and cares for this particular cemetery. Yes, it WAS called Prairie Cemetery at one time and is now Laurel Hill Cemetery. I explained to her that I liked going to very old cemeteries and photographing headstones, etc., and I would like to have permission to walk about this cemetery. She was a bit hesitant but said yes. Fifteen minutes later, the caretaker showed up to further investigate me. He was very personable and actually had family buried there himself. He told me that because of the out of the way nature of the place, they had an issue with garbage dumping and other more unsavory things going on there. They are trying to keep control of the yard work there, but being Florida's wild and crazy flora and all, it's difficult to find volunteers these days to devote their time on things like this. This particular cemetery is quite gorgeous. It was, and perhaps still is, primarily African American. Records fluctuate on times of use, but the belief is this place has been used for burial for at least a hundred years, perhaps longer. Different areas appear to be clustered in different burial eras. The farthest away is the most new. I just took a quick look at that, mostly family groups. Many of the older headstones are handmade. Touching and quite lovely, some you can still see the handwriting and others are eroding away with time. (Sadly, the landscape has swallowed up an older section or two that needs to be pruned very soon or lost.) I have a feeling there are many more graves there than are marked. Many. It is so quiet out there. You'd never know you were next to a neighborhood, by a water treatment plant, a rail yard, a highway, etc. The breeze was blowing, the birds were singing, the butterflies were fluttering.

Sometimes you are driving down the road and you see something so quirky you have to pull over…read more Things like a cemetery in the middle of a city park. When I see something like that I have to know more so here is the story of how graves came to be in Inman Park, Winter Haven. In the park is a fenced in area with a large monument flanked by the graves of Dr. Fredrick Inman (1840-1910) a former Civil War surgeon, his daughter Lillian Inman, his wife Florence and her sister Mary. The section of Winter Haven named Florence Villa takes it's name from Florence Inman. Florence Villa and Winter Haven used to be two separate towns but now they are all Winter Haven. Prior to Dr. Inman purchasing the land, it was owned by Florence's family. The couple was originally from Akron, Ohio and came to Florida in 1882 to visit the 695 acre family property in what is now present day Winter Haven. In 1887 they decided to make Florida their home on the advice of Florence's doctor who recommended a warmer climate for health. At first they camped before building their 10 room home on the shores of Lake Spring. Eventually they expanded the house to 42 rooms to accommodate all of their friends who wanted to visit. To entertain them Dr. Inman built a golf course and gave boat tours between the lakes. A train station was added to the property to make it easier to reach the house. After an economic downturn sparked by a citrus freeze the couple called the home Villa Florence and opened it to paying guests as a 49 room full time hotel until 1906. Dr. Fredrick Inman was one of the founders of the Quaker Oats Company. He also grew many different crops in the area. He planted the first citrus groves on 100 acres making him very wealthy with the sale of orange juice. He was called the father of the citrus and this area was at one time the citrus capitol of the world. In 1909 he formed the Florida Citrus Exchange. Dr. Inman was inducted into the Citrus Hall of Fame in 1962. Besides the graves there are some more typical amenities you would expect to find in a park. There is a climbing wall, paved exercise paths, a picnic pavilion, and outdoor exercise equipment. Also in the park are old oak trees. Next door to the park is the Inman Baptist Church. The not so great in the park is the belongings of homeless people shoved into different areas. Even with the homeless presence you could still safely exercise and picnic. You could easily drive by the park and never think twice about the large obelisk marking the cemetery. I am so glad i stopped to learn about the Inman's and their role as pioneers in the area. While certain areas of the park could use a clean up it is nice to see the grave site respectfully maintained.

Think of all the great reasons to use the written word:…read more The words written here are meant to last forever, beyond a lifetime. The words written here are descriptive and defining, the words written here are the lasting memories, a memorial for the mortal. There are lots of cultural reasons these places exist and all are for the living, in remembrance, sometimes for closure - a final resting place, a waiting room for the rapture for others. All men are equal here, the lanes between the plots are only for access not to segregate, a path the living can roam between the concrete and the granite and the caretakers can keep the living lawns maintained and pristine and the barked giants can shade the souls and her shedding leaves can blanket and comfort as the cycle of life is renewed. I came here with an elderly friend who traveled here from afar to visit her resting father to offer flowers and a prayer. Her nearly nine decades on earth hasn't tempered the influence of something good or benign as she stood before the eroding inscription in silence for a moment or two before turning away with a smile that said thank you - we never spoke of this again...

The City of Haines City helped me secure a gravesite my Great Grandfather purchased for the family…read more I truly appreciate it.