The garden was designed by veteran Mahoning Valley architect Paul J. Ricciuti, with support from from Behnke Landscape Architecture, a Cleveland firm with expertise in cemeteries and gardens. The general contractor is Marucci and Gaffney Excavating of Youngstown.

Work has begun on a new columbarium memorial garden at Tod Homestead Cemetery. The 2-acre garden will be a place for repose and reflection, with a fountain, landscaping, walkways and 10 low-profile structures with a total of 960 spaces for cremation remains. Completion is scheduled for this fall.

“We are very pleased to be in a position to make this important investment,” said Sallie Tod Dutton, president of the Tod Homestead Cemetery Association. “We are grateful to be able to carry on the legacy of Governor Tod and his son, George Tod, to create a place of repose and reflection for the people of the Mahoning Valley.

“We are moving forward with this facility without sacrificing our high standards for upkeep and maintenance. Although cremation is less popular in the Mahoning Valley today than in most of the United States, we expect the practice to grow here in the years ahead and want to be prepared. Many families prefer cremation because it can cost less than traditional burials, uses less land and is easier to arrange.”

More information about the garden is available on our Columbarium page.

Click here for a gallery of construction photos.