A small crowd of residents gathered at Altona’s Memory Garden on June 10 to pay tribute to their loved ones who have passed away.
The annual planting ceremony, organized by the Altona and District Palliative Care team, provides comfort and a sense of connection for families navigating grief.
Maria Nickel, volunteer team coordinator, emphasized the site’s significance.
“This memory garden is a place where families can come as individuals, or together, during holidays or in times when they’re alone feeling grief for their loved ones who have been lost,” she said.
“The planting itself is a physical project, so there’s work to be done. There’s work in grieving as well, so when we grieve loved ones, it’s a form of work we have to do over time. Whether families are in town, or from far away, this is a place where they’ll be able to come and remember.”
Located on 10th Ave., the Memory Garden was originally established in 2007 by the Altona in Bloom Committee.
“They had a vision and a goal to create a peaceful place to spend time remembering loved ones, while being surrounded by beauty and by nature,” Nickel shared.
They hired a professional artist who created the original plan and continues to help with the layout. Any community member can participate in the service by purchasing a plant from the Altona Recreation Department and planting it in a designated area.
What began with just four trees and a few tulips has blossomed into its ninth bed. Over 100 trees, bushes, and perennials now stand as living memorials.
Today, the site features benches, pathways and monuments, surrounded by plants that burst into colour every spring.
“Residents of Altona enjoy the changing seasons here,” Nickel said. “From winter’s stark beauty to spring’s vibrant colors, this garden brings solace to all who visit.”
During this year’s service, 17 new plants were added, symbolizing ongoing remembrance.
Honoured in this year’s planting were Grant Nickel, Bernhard G. Wiebe, Mary Driedger, John D. Driedger, Hilda Funk, Don Radford, Toots Sawatzky, Evelien, Benjamin, and James Wiebe, Marlene Plett, John Dueck, Marge Friesen, Glen Robinson, Joyce Loewen, and Ken Pappel.
“Grief doesn’t follow a schedule,” Nickel noted. “Families gather tonight, supporting each other through the process. Some have lost loved ones years ago, and today they honour their memory.
“Losing a loved one is never easy,” she said. “Creating a living tribute in the form of a Memory Garden offers us a place to grieve, to reflect and to pay homage to the loved one’s memories.”
The garden’s legacy extends beyond its greenery. An annual book records the names of those honored with shrubs or trees. Located in the pagoda near the garden’s west end, this book ensures that memories endure, season after season.
The garden is maintained by Gwen Harmin, who was hired by the Town of Altona. Visitors who walk by the garden are also encouraged to pull a weed or two, if they wish.
The family of Toots Sawatzky chose a flowering crab tree to plant in her memory. Her grandchildren said she would have loved something that blooms every year.
Her husband John says he loves that he can see it every day from where he lives at the Gardens on Tenth.
“This is very special. Toots just loved to garden, and we had a big garden on the farm. She would get a kick out of this.”
