WVU Medicine Hospice Seeking Help with Memorial Garden Updates at VA Memorial Park in Clarksburg
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on February 04, 2025
After he lost his wife Valeria to colon cancer, Jeff Tutalo chose to honor her memory with a brick paver in the WVU Medicine Hospice Memorial Garden. The Memorial Garden, a 1.7 acre stretch of land in the Veterans Memorial Park in Clarksburg, allows families of past hospice patients to reflect on memories of their loved ones, both alone and together with others. However, after nearly a quarter century of foot traffic and weather-related erosion, the garden is showing its age and is in desperate need of help.
“It’s a beautiful place,” Tutalo said. “But it needs a lot of work.”
As the only hospice garden in North Central West Virginia, the Memorial Garden has welcomed numerous families since its establishment in 2001. Nearly everything in the garden has been donated, including approximately 1,000 brick pavers etched with names; 43 benches; and
numerous plants, trees, and wooden archways. Each year, the garden hosts two memorial services, led by WVU Medicine Hospice, which also maintains the grounds.
numerous plants, trees, and wooden archways. Each year, the garden hosts two memorial services, led by WVU Medicine Hospice, which also maintains the grounds.
“We are asking the community for help,” Devany Yearsley, WVU Medicine Hospice volunteer coordinator, said. “A lot of what has been placed in that garden since 2001 has disintegrated from being out in the weather, so we are looking to do a total facelift.”
While the garden was originally intended for hospice families, it is also utilized by the local community, in large part because of its location near the Clarksburg Amphitheater and the Louis A. Johnson Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center. In fact, some items in the garden were donated by and stand in honor of community members, including a bench donated by the family of a VA Medical Center nurse and a tree planted in memory of a beloved teacher.
Tutalo’s first experience in the garden was the Butterfly Release, the annual spring memorial service held there. Now, the Memorial Garden is a place he returns often.
“It’s an important place for me and my family,” he said. “My daughters and my grandkids have been there for some of these events. It means something to them that there’s a paver there with their mom’s name on it.”
Many families that visit the garden – with several people travelling from out of state – have stories much like Tutalo’s. But for some, the garden has an even deeper sentiment. Some families consider it a burial site for their loved ones.
Yearsley shared a story about two young siblings who lost their mother, then six months later lost their father. The siblings had no burial site for their parents, so they use the garden as a place of remembrance. She said the story resonates with her to this day, proving just
how important the garden is to many people who visit there.
how important the garden is to many people who visit there.
According to Yearsley, the Memorial Garden is in most need of masonry work, especially to the wooden structures.
“The archway probably would be the most significant thing,” she added, noting that the wood is dry rotting in spots, and the entire structure needs replaced.
Yearsley is hopeful someone who specializes in woodwork would be willing to donate their time to help fix the archway or other structures inside the garden. Additional immediate needs include landscaping updates. With the community’s help, she believes the garden can once again return to its former glory.
“We love that everybody loves to come to it in different ways and different celebrations in life. If you’re going to be in the garden, be mindful of those who are there, and be mindful of the flowers or the ornament that they left for their loved ones,” she noted.
“Let’s not forget what it’s originally been established for. We have to come together, and we have to rebuilt it and keep it maintained.”
Donations can be made to the WVU Foundation with a note indicating the gift goes toward the WVU Medicine Hospice Memorial Garden. Donors can also purchase a paver or apply money to something specific in the garden, such as landscaping, woodwork, or benches. Anyone interested in volunteering time to assist with the garden beautification project can contact Yearsley at 681-342-3200 or devany.yearsley@wvumedicine.org.
For more information about WVU Medicine Hospice, visit WVUMedicine.org/Hospice.
Editor's Note: Top image shows the “Imprint of Hope” that is s one of two sculptures inside the WVU Medicine Hospice Memorial Garden. It is mounted on the “Circle of Life,” surrounded by personalized granite and brick pavers donatedi n the memory of loved ones. Bottom image shows the pergola at the entrance of the garden and is shown decorated for the recentholiday season. After nearly 25 years, the structure – and the entire garden – is showing its age.
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