Memorial Forest
ANNUAL TREE DEDICATION:
Memorial Forest Grove, Arboretum,
University of Guelph
Our annual service is a day-long self-guided Memorial Forest “open house day”. The open house will be held on Sunday, September 15th 2024 (9:00 am – 4:15 pm). Everyone is invited to come and go on their own time that day, or any day of the year, with friends and loved ones. There will be a quiet ceremonial opening and closing, and a few musical moments and an invitation to make a walking remembrance through the forest trail at your convenience.
On campus parking is available near the soccer fields throughout the day on September 15th. Please enter via East Ring Road or South Ring Road, and park in the lots near the fields (P14 & 15).
Video clips are available below and you are encouraged to watch them while you are visiting the arboretum on your devices, or on your computer from home. These video clips are to work in tandem with your walk. (Scroll down to locate them).
Here is an outline of the musical moments for 2024.
- 9 am – Barry McKendry (bagpipes)
- 10 am – Barry McKendry (bagpipes)
- 11 am – Ben Finley (double bass)
- 12 noon – Ben Finley (double bass)
- 1 pm – “Ondine Trio”: David Beattie, Tricia Brubacher & Shannon Kingsbury (voices)
- 2 pm – “Ondine Trio”: David Beattie, Tricia Brubacher & Shannon Kingsbury (voices)
- 3 pm – Glenn Soltes (guzhengzither)
- 4 pm – Glenn Soltes (guzhengzither)
You are invited to visit the Wall-Custance Memorial Forest and Walking Trail at the University of Guelph Arboretum all year round.
- If visiting the Arboretum, wear comfortable shoes and know there is a short walk into the forest from parking area.
- no washrooms available, you are in the forest.
Wall-Custance Memorial Forest Program
The Wall-Custance Memorial Forest program provides an opportunity to commemorate the life of a loved one in a special way; by planting a tree — a living memorial. A memorial tree serves as a source of comfort and meaning to those who have suffered a loss and helps to ease them through a difficult time. As a life ends, a new life begins. This program is not restricted to those served by the Wall-Custance Funeral Home and Chapel. Everyone is invited to participate.
Archive of Annual Memorial Forest Plantings
LOCATION
The Wall-Custance Memorial Forest is prominently located at The Arboretum at the University of Guelph. The Memorial Forest Dedication Grove can be found off of Arboretum Rd., just down from Alumni House. Directions: From College Ave E., take East Ring Rd. then Arboretum Rd., (or from Stone Rd. or Gordon St., enter South Ring Rd. to East Ring Rd. to Arboretum Rd.). See Google Map.
For the dedication weekend only, please park in P14 & P15; any other time of year, there is parking closer to the entrance of the Memorial Forest near the information kiosk.
HISTORY
The program began January 1st, 1989 and has grown with each passing year. The Wall-Custance Memorial Forest was established in recognition of the severe depletion of our forests. This program is a small part of the major endeavor of reforestation, reducing the green-house effect, improving air quality and providing food and shelter for birds and wildlife. The Memorial Forest Program not only pays tribute to the memory of one who has passed; it assures a better environment for generations to come.
PLANTING A TREE
The planting of a tree is arranged through the Wall-Custance Funeral Home and Chapel. As part of this lasting tribute, the family of the deceased receives a notification acknowledging that a tree will be planted in the Wall-Custance Memorial Forest in memory of their loved one.
The trees planted in the Wall-Custance Memorial Forest are part of a natural forest growth. The species and location of the trees planted is determined solely by the staff of The Arboretum based upon greatest need and are planted throughout the year. The native character of the forest is maintained, including such local species as maple, ash, cherry, birch, elm, oak, cedar, tamarack, spruce, hemlock and pine.
The trees are not individually marked. All names appear on one large annual plaque in the dedication grove.
The name of the deceased is also presented on the Memorial Forest Wall at the Wall-Custance Funeral Home and Chapel, added to the Memorial Forest listings on the Wall-Custance website. Trees may be planted through this program regardless of the time elapsed since the death, where the death occurred or where the service was held. Multiple trees can be planted in memory of one person and single trees can be planted in memory of multiple people.
COST:
The current cost to have a tree planted is $75. The cost is for the tree only. Wall Custance covers all costs related to the maintenance and development of the program.
Trees can be ordered in the following ways:
Online: www.wallcustance.com
By Phone: 519-822-0051
In Person: With cash or a cheque made payable to the UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH
Payment, along with the name(s) of the individual(s) in whose memory the tree is being planted and the name of the individual who is to receive the notification should be forwarded to the Wall-Custance Funeral Home and Chapel for processing. A tax receipt will be issued by the University of Guelph.
There is no charge for a Memorial Tree to those families who entrust the Wall-Custance Funeral Home and Chapel with their arrangements. We plant a tree in memory of every person we serve with their end of life arrangements.
TREE DEDICATION
The annual tree dedication represents each tree that was dedicated in memory of our loved ones between September 1-August 31. A temporary plaque is placed in the Memorial Forest Dedication Grove on the third weekend of September. You are welcome to come for a walk to view the temporary plaque (if there is a change to be made to the “temporary” plaque, contact 519-822-0051, by Oct 18th). The permanent plaque is usually in place by December.
We hope that the Wall-Custance Memorial Forest program will continue for many years to come and that the solace that nature offers, particularly in the depths of a living forest, will be of comfort and benefit to all.
Memorial Tree Donations in Memory of ...
Use our search tool to find memorial trees planted for loved ones, by name or by year.
Please note: The date which accompanies the name refers to the date the tree was dedicated.
Memorial Tree Dedications
Between September 1, 2024 and August 31, 2025
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