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ittartthsitn utaftnj 4 ah condmomng systems 191wigtonaeuat7 fafan 4711748 ratsniaiisip i jim- juiilillcii tribune community mi j5 pffipbot mf hjttbmw i cjuiiuutt remax imperial realty ltd serving whitchurchstouffville uxbridge and area a metroland community newspaper wednesday august 10 1988 by kate gilderdale its human nature not to want to face up to ones own mortality nevertheless the best time to plan for the inevitable is pro bably when the prospect of death is far away and therefore less overwhelming the realities of modern life make planning even more vital says allen darling a member of the stouffville cemetery board allen points out that land values are skyrocketing and cemetery space is becoming scarcer every year if we continue at the current rate well run out of land in 10 to 12 years he contends the present site takes in just over eight acres some people have paid for plots but have never used them notes fay minton owner- operator of the oneill funeral home and also a member of the cemetery board when funds were needed families bought blocks of plots and then moved away or changed their minds we cant sell these plots to someone else even if theyre not used she says another practical considera tion for most people is cost a plot in the stouffville cemetery is priced at 265 this figure will increase annually with inflation eighty per cent goes into the frances grove honored by jim thomas seventeenyearold frances grove displays an appreciative smile while displaying her recognition award for outstan ding student contribution the honor received at a recent ceremony in ajax holds special significance for frances was born a pku baby a malady that spelled out means phenylketonuria solution to the problem is a low protein diet that frances follows to the letter while the routine is ordinary now parents glen and joan shud der at the consequences had the ailment not been detected frances they feel would have been mentally retarded it was dr robert allin of the port perry medical centre who performed the lest only days after frances was born he con tacted the family immediately and advised them to have her ad mitted to the hospital for sick children in toronto a i cried for three days and three nights recalls joan i couldnt understand what had gone wrong besides their daughter seemed so bright she was then but her condi tion would have deteriorated if various procedures had not been followed frances remained in sick kids two weeks even now she t- frances grove displays her recognition award for outstanding student contribution she recently taped a vocal audition for a musical at canadas wonderland anil has a beautiful singing voice jim thomas tends pku clinics regularly just to make sure everythings on track frances manages her own proteinfree diet fruit and vegetables are fine meat fish eggs and cheese arc out as a replacement for ham burgers frances eats mushroom burgers she drinks powdered milk we only go to restaurants that have salad bars says mrs grove at christmas she sets turkey aside and eats only her veggies prances isnt complaining in fact she dislikes some of the food others consider commonplace frances recently completed grade 12 at port perry high she was named to the 1988 honor roll perpetual continued grounds the town does the work and charges the expense back to the board explains fay although the planting of shrubs and flowers by relatives is not allowed many people ignore the restriction additional plantings make maintenance more difficult it wouldnt be a problem if people took care of it themselves fay notes she points out that town employees responsible for upkeep havent time to do the extra work both fay and allen are pleased the cemetery is financially self- supporting if we ran out of money the town would support us but we havent had to ask them so far observes fay its important we keep the cemetery selfsufficient so theres no cost to the taxpayer allen agrees one project currently under review is the building of a colum barium niche unit that the cemetery board hopes will be ap proved and installed by next spr ing this will allow for cremation burials above ground its a concrete hexagonal unit encased in granite with w niches that can each hold two urns allen explains adding hat the number of people opting for cremation is increasing annually nevertheless the difference in the percentage of cremations to burials between urban and rural areas is considerable says allen the city has a rate of about 50 per cent going for cremation ours is probably 10 per cent the rest prefer burials with the cemetery handling between 50 and 00 deaths annual ly the unit would be viable for between 100 and 150 years at the present rate the board plans to make the columbarium unit a focal point in the north end of the cemetery with a walkway and landscaping as well as benches for visitors cost of the unit is estimated at close to 25000 approval must be obtained from town council and the provincial government although the installation was originally planned for fall allen now believes it wont be in place until spring also under consideration is a site for memorial trees once sufficient funds arc available its hoped that perhaps 10 trees can be planted in a designated area putting in all the trees at one time would be more cost effective than individual plantings and would enhance a special place for the erection of a memorial plaque the names on the plaque would include all those in whose memory donations were made rather than a name for each i sps mm separate tree thereby allowing a permanent memorial for more people we dont have a specific figure on this at the moment says fay but if a tree costs 100 and someone donates 25 well have several donations for one tree another advantage of trees is that they will provide a screen between the cemetery and new housing in the area states fay although she points out that the problem of falling leaves on pro perties and other restrictions must be considered a fund has already been set up and people wishing to make dona tions for trees can approach the board who will be responsible for havingthem planted allens in charge of selling plots and maintaining cemetery records he feels people would be much better off if they planned their funeral arrangements well in ad vance instead of leaving it to the last minute or letting distraught relatives handle arrangements after death probably 50 per cent leave their purchase of a cemetery plot until its a case of absolute necessity he observes with rates going up on an annual basis it makes sense to consider it early furthermore costs in stouffville arc far below those of the city with some cemeteries charging more than 1000 fays involvement with the cemetery board was a natural result of following in her fathers footsteps my father tim oneill operated the cemetery on his own until the village took it over in 1961 we still have the old maps she explains the cemetery board includes three volunteer members ap pointed by council serving in this capacity are fay allen and town lawyer eric button we maintain the cemetery make decisions on how to use donations and answer any ques tions people may have notes fay adding that her position at the funeral home made her decide to volunteer her services vandalism a problem that often besets cemeteries is thankfully rare here she states this area is generally pretty good she says like allen fay is concerned over the availability of land in the future were running out of property and theres no provision for a site at another location the only way this can be overcome is for a developer to submit an applica tion and the town to agree pro viding he sets a parcel of land aside for a cemetery she suggests allen has served on the cemetery board nine years ever since he began working for the town although he acknowledges the position is one that some people might find depressing he con siders it a challenge he also en joys organizing the annual decoration day service thai always occurs the third sunday in june