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The Virginia Strong
Memorial Garden
First Parish dedicated the Virginia Strong Memorial Garden in 2010. Virginia Green Strong (1920–2006) joined First Parish in the 1970s and was a faithful member and friend. The Memorial Garden was made possible by a bequest from the Strong family. Members of First Parish designed the garden and did most of the landscaping. The space incorporates several large pieces of granite that were unearthed during the construction of the new Parish Hall in 2007-2008 and appear to have been part of the 1927 renovation.*
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Remembering Loved Ones
In Memoriam notices
The Memorial Garden was designed to be a space where members of the First Parish Community could remember their loved ones, whether through meditative reflection, the scattering of ashes, or memorializing names in the etched glass of the windows overlooking the garden. The photos at the right show the prototype of the etchings.
Persons eligible for commemoration include
deceased members and friends of the church,
immediate family members of members and
friends, and others who had a spiritual
connection to First Parish and Unitarian
Universalism.
If you are interested in commemorating someone on these windows, please complete the order form below. Applications will be reviewed by the Memorial Garden Committee. The Memorial Garden Committee must also approve and record the scattering of ashes. If you have questions, contact the Parish Administrator at 781-444-0823 or office@firstparish.org.
Memorial Garden Etching
Order Form
The following words, which Ginny Strong kept taped to her refrigerator door, were read at her memorial service:
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and
.... the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and
.... endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a
.... healthy child, a garden patch,
.... or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier
.... because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
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* Read about Dick Eastman's detective work to find the source of the Memorial Garden granite.