Church Cemetery and Funeral Arrangements
The cemetery is an expression of faith, an extension of the parish community, and a life affirming response to the universal mystery of death and resurrection. It gives witness that our community of faith is unbroken by death. Moreover, we are one with Christ in life, death, and resurrection. St. Paul tells us, "If we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection" (Romans 6.5) and "...whether we live or die, we are the Lord's" (Romans 14.8).
Death is an experience that touches all. A visit to a cemetery is a reminder of what death is all about- a step to a new and eternal life with the Risen Lord. Christ has died! Christ is risen! Christ will come again!
If you have any questions about the Church Cemetery please contact the church office.
Cemetery Rules
The Cemetery is open every day from 8 a.m. until dusk. Anyone entering at other times may be considered trespassing and subject to arrest by authorities. We ask that you respect these visitation hours.
American flags are permitted from Memorial Day to July 4 and for four weeks in November ending on Thanksgiving Day. Only American flags and flags of police, fire, and first aid squad members are permitted.
Annuals may be planted by the lot owner only within one foot of the front and sides of the gravestone within the plot. Potted plants also are permitted. No shrubs, trees, perennial plants, or hanging plants are permitted. The Cemetery reserves the right to remove any plantings which interfere with interments or adjacent lots or which have become overgrown and unsightly.
Benches, urns, settees, and similar are inconsistent with the proper keeping of the grounds and are not permitted. Similarly, perpetual lights and all other lights, candles, balloons, hangers, hooks, windchimes, pictures, birdhouses, stones, pennies, notecards, statues, trinkets, toys, and similar are not permitted and will be removed. Fences, hedges, coping, curbing, or other borders around lots are not permitted. Small toys, trinkets, and other memorabilia will be permitted for one year after the death of a child 18 years old or younger.
Wreaths, grave covers and the like may be placed on graves for holidays such as Easter, Memorial Day and Christmas. Only decorations attached to a solid backing may be used. Decorations are to be fastened to the gravestone, not to the ground with metal anchors. The anchors freeze in the ground and make mowing in the spring dangerous. The tributes will be removed when they become unsightly. Christmas decorations will be removed after Epiphany. Owners who wish to keep any of the decorations should remove them by then.
No pets shall be permitted in the Cemetery.
Smoking and alcoholic beverages are not permitted.
Please dispose of litter in the trash receptacles.
Rules are subject to revision.
Interment Arrangements
Hours of interment are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays. No burials on Sunday. Special arrangements may be made for burial on Saturday and some legal holidays from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Later arrivals will incur additional charges.
Minimum of 48 hours advance notice necessary for burial.
Use of a concrete vault is required.
Six floral pieces is the maximum number that may be brought to a gravesite. Should more pieces be presented, they shall be disposed of immediately.
Concrete foundations are required for monuments and veterans plaques. The cemetery must put in the concrete foundation and payment must be received in advance. Concrete foundations will be put in from May 1 through November 15, weather permitting.
No concrete footing will be installed until 3 months after interment.
After a gravesite is used, up to 4 urns of ashes may be placed in that same grave on top of the vault. However, if an urn is to be buried before a vault is in place, the urn must be able to withstand being exhumed and reinterred if the plot is later used for a concrete vault burial.
It shall be the duty of the plot owner to notify the Cemetery of any change of address. Notice sent to the plot owner at the last address on file shall be considered sufficient and proper notice.
A stone monument cannot be larger than half the North/South dimension of the plot (i.e., a single 4-foot-wide gravesite cannot have a gravestone more than 2 feet wide).
All plots will be maintained by the cemetery. Grass seed will be planted and topsoil added at the appropriate time, as soon as the ground settles on new graves. If sod is desired, arrangements must be made to have the cemetery plant the sod. The plot owner will be responsible for watering. Hosepipes are available for watering during the summer.
In keeping with the religious and historic nature of the Cemetery, gravestones’ appearance and their wording need the approval of the Cemetery Commission. No profane engraving is permitted. Video film gravestones and similar shall not be permitted.
The First Reformed Church Cemetery is not responsible for damage to monuments or other structures or trespass of any kind
Cemetery plots may not be sold to a third party. Plots can only be sold back to the cemetery at the original cost.
Memorial Garden & the Columbarium
In the Memorial Garden a bronze plaque is required on each site and must be paid for at the time of the interment. Engraving on the Columbarium must be paid when cremains are interred.
Burial plots in the garden are sold on a continuous basis. Any new plot that is sold must be located next to a previously sold space.
Flowers may be placed only in the flower boxes located in the middle of the garden, except at Christmas when small wreaths can be placed on the bronze plaques and on the ground in front of the Columbarium.
The Cemetery Regulations are available in a printable form here.