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Reviews — 4
If you are looking for a cemetery to bury a loved one, I STRONGLY suggest Woodlawn.
A sister-friend (sister) chose me to manage her final transition. I was blessed to have Simone and Woodlawn Cemetery assist me.
My sister wanted to be buried with her people in Woodlawn. Simone, a Woodlawn employee, helped me to both grieve and bury my sister with love and in a way that honored my sister. Simone even came to the burial, sat next to me, and held my hand.
The burial staff paused the service twice to honor my needs. They allowed me to touch my sister's casket just before they closed the vault. They also allowed me to drop dirt on her vault just before they dropped the final dirt to cover her forever.
Woodlawn also gave me a packet of wildflower seeds to plant in remembrance of my sister.
Woodlawn is a class act.
A sister-friend (sister) chose me to manage her final transition. I was blessed to have Simone and Woodlawn Cemetery assist me.
My sister wanted to be buried with her people in Woodlawn. Simone, a Woodlawn employee, helped me to both grieve and bury my sister with love and in a way that honored my sister. Simone even came to the burial, sat next to me, and held my hand.
The burial staff paused the service twice to honor my needs. They allowed me to touch my sister's casket just before they closed the vault. They also allowed me to drop dirt on her vault just before they dropped the final dirt to cover her forever.
Woodlawn also gave me a packet of wildflower seeds to plant in remembrance of my sister.
Woodlawn is a class act.
I don't have words to describe my experience. I am an avid cemetery goer, and lover of history. After visiting the art fair on Belle Isle and Michigan Central, I then visited Ms. Aretha Franklin's childhood home and some of the many places named after her. We made her resting place the last stop on our day trip, here at Woodlawn. The GPS took us to a side entrance of a mausoleum, with a single door that was open with no sense of security whatsoever. There was a giant pothole directly in front filled with water. We walked in and she was on the immediate left. Not a single flower to be found on her marble door, whereas many others had them. A single dollar store American flag sat on a table with "for Aretha" written in marker. After paying our respects, we headed to the next vaults which held her sisters, and noticed chep plastic flowers and debris on the floor. A single fan was circulating the air in the whole hallway and it was utterly stagnant. Hardly a place you'd expect an icon to be interred.
Bumping through pothole after pothole, we went around front only to realize the building was really not that attractive as far as mausoleums go, yet they call it the main mausoleum. Opposite of it were three stones marked only with "Ford" from the front with no explanation whether they were members of the Ford family, and a little orange caution net surrounding it broke the aesthetic.
Before leaving, we learned that Ms. Rosa Parks was interred in the small church to the left of the entrance. I walked around it until finding that you could go in from the opposite side. It was very hotbthat day, and whn i walked in, i was immediately put off by the smell. There's no other way to describe it aside from exactly what you'd expect decay to smell like with zero proper ventilation 93 degree heat. It was sweltering and humid in there despite being dark. I couldn't even pay proper respecrs, I had to leave, and the smell stuck with me the whole way home.
If this is the way icons are treated, I can't imagine how ordinary people buried in here are treated.
Bumping through pothole after pothole, we went around front only to realize the building was really not that attractive as far as mausoleums go, yet they call it the main mausoleum. Opposite of it were three stones marked only with "Ford" from the front with no explanation whether they were members of the Ford family, and a little orange caution net surrounding it broke the aesthetic.
Before leaving, we learned that Ms. Rosa Parks was interred in the small church to the left of the entrance. I walked around it until finding that you could go in from the opposite side. It was very hotbthat day, and whn i walked in, i was immediately put off by the smell. There's no other way to describe it aside from exactly what you'd expect decay to smell like with zero proper ventilation 93 degree heat. It was sweltering and humid in there despite being dark. I couldn't even pay proper respecrs, I had to leave, and the smell stuck with me the whole way home.
If this is the way icons are treated, I can't imagine how ordinary people buried in here are treated.
I have to say that the Staff were very Professional and very Friendly, Eager to take care of our questions, The Grounds are very well kept and clean. And my Husband and I were just amazed at how Beautiful Woodlawn is.
So glad to see that our loved ones are Respected in the highest level, Thank you William and Lisa for treating us with heartfelt understanding.
So glad to see that our loved ones are Respected in the highest level, Thank you William and Lisa for treating us with heartfelt understanding.
This cemetery is very beautiful and historic, A couple of my ancestors are here, and HUGE thank you to Lisa who has helped me locate my family, even the ones from the early 1900’s, She’s amazing!
