Submitted. The new architectural designs at Abbotsford’s largest municipal cemetery, Hazelwood are getting some international attention. An article in last month’s American Cemetery Magazine, Pushing Design Forward highlights Abbotsford as a leader in the industry.
The visually splendid architectural upgrades at Hazelwood include the new Plaza of Peace columbaria designs which provide a focus on the natural beauty of the landscape and take into account unique cultural features including orientation toward the sun, water, mountains and natural figures. Read the complete article and see photos here.
Background on Hazelwood
Hazelwood Cemetery was established in the 1920s. It was originally named after the Maclure Family, reflected in the name of the Maclure Road Mennonite Cemetery, which is adjacent to Hazelwood Cemetery. Veterans from the First and Second World Wars are honoured by the monument of two gatepost cairns, constructed in 1972, at the entrance to Hazelwood Cemetery. There are two Canadian Legion areas (Old and New) and a small Legion memorial. The Legion area is cleaned every year by volunteers. This section of Hazelwood Cemetery has been reserved for war veterans and their spouses only. Also buried here are 12 Royal Air Force members who were killed while training at Abbotsford Airport. These Royal Air Force graves are looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The only mausoleum in any of the civic cemeteries is located here in the older section, the Mercer Family vault. The vault was built between 1919 and 1924, by Benn Mercer (1850-1933), and holds the remains of six members of the Mercer family. Benn Mercer was from Ireland, immigrated to Canada in the early 1880s, and to British Columbia in the late 1880s. The Mercers farmed land in the Matsqui / Ridgedale area, before relocating to the B.C. Interior. Benn Mercer lived on Boundary Road South in Burnaby at the time of his death. There are paved internal access roads, a wide parking lot for visitors and public washroom facilities at Hazelwood.