Taking Root: The Story of Our Memorial Garden — Part 3

By Ed Busch, Church Archivist

This post continues the story of how our church’s Memorial Garden came to be. In Part 1 (May 29), I explored how the idea for a Memorial Garden first emerged in the early 1980s and how it came to life through the generosity of Clarence Rosa, the design work of MSU students under Tony Bauer, and the enthusiastic support of church members. Part 2 (June 5) picked up the story decades later, as the garden made its meaningful transition from our former Grove Street location to our current home on South Pennsylvania Avenue in 2016.

While researching the 2000–2001 Annual Report for my July 2 post on church committee life, I came across a related piece—a heartfelt article by the late Shirley Beckman (1929–2019), a longtime and beloved member of our congregation. Originally published in the January 2, 2001 edition of the Liberal Express newsletter, Shirley’s reflections offer a personal and detailed history of the Memorial Garden. Her words highlight the vision, generosity, and community spirit that brought the original garden to life. With only light edits, her article is reprinted here as it originally appeared.

Shirley Beckman, 2000-2001 Search Committee.

The Memorial Garden and How It Came to Be
by Shirley Beckman

At the moment, the Memorial Garden is nearly hidden by the snow, but it is still appropriate to remind people about the garden and how it came to be. The late Clarence Rosa, a member of the church and an architect, was the moving force behind the garden. It was established in memory of his wife, Marcella Orr Rosa.

In 1990, in a letter to Jean Dykema, then chair of the garden committee, Rosa wrote, "Starting with the architect's conception of the church addition and remodeling, there had been the germ of an idea that this spot (adjacent to the entrance, shielded from the street and just outside the windows from the minister's office and the main office) would be a good one for a garden. Tony Bauer (MS landscape architecture professor) and his senior landscaping class became interested and offered to have a competition among the students to determine the best design and to help construct it.

Harold and Wimpy Hicks, owners of a wholesale nursery, offered to donate the plant material. The Church Board was anxious to go ahead with it, but about $1300 in cash was going to be needed to buy the stone and other materials and perhaps to rent some equipment. The Church treasury was struggling with the large debt brought on by the recently completed addition and it appeared it would be quite a time before the treasury could take on the added cost. Clarence wrote in his letter that he was anxious to see the garden built (especially since everyone was so enthused about it) and offered to cover the cash requirement in memory of his deceased wife. By letter, dated October 13, 1983, Clarence transmitted to the board a check for $1500 (there are always extras) and asked that there be some recognition (perhaps plaque) that the garden was made possible in part by a gift in memory of Marcella Orr Rosa, without mention of the donor. C. B. Smith used his front-end loader to grade the site, and the garden was built as planned."

Marion and Joe Lay donated $500 toward the construction of the gazebo in memory of their niece, Kathleen Ann Haering. Rosa prepared the design and construction plan for the gazebo. Members and friends of the church contributed materials, labor, and equipment for the gazebo.

Ashes of 19 individuals have been interred in the garden (as of the writing of this article). Their names are recorded on a plaque inside the entrance to the church. The locations of each interment are recorded in the church office.

The cost for interment in the garden is $275 for members and friends of the church. For others it is $500. These funds are maintained in a restricted account to be used for special needs of the garden. The building and grounds committee provides for regular maintenance.

The gazebo has been used for weddings and churchgoers frequently extend coffee hour to the gazebo on warm Sunday mornings. It is a pleasant spot to sit on almost any spring or fall day. The Memorial Garden is an important part of our church.

Closing Thoughts

Do you have photographs or memories of the Grove Street Memorial Garden—or our current one at South Pennsylvania? We would love to preserve and share them in our archives. Please feel free to email me with your stories. I like hearing from readers that they enjoy my posts.

Also, our congregation is looking for volunteers to assist with general maintenance of the Memorial Garden and the church grounds. No experience is required—just willing hands and a caring spirit. Contact Steve Pueppke or Margo Smith to learn more about how you can help keep our outdoor spaces thriving.

[With editing support from ChatGPT AI.]

Sources:

Liberal Express Newsletter, January 2, 2001

About the Author
Hi, I’m Ed Busch, the writer behind these blog posts exploring the history of UU Lansing. After retiring in 2023 from a 15-year career as an Electronic Records Archivist at Michigan State University’s Archives & Historical Collections, I’m thrilled to dedicate my time to sharing our church’s rich history.

I hold a Master’s in Library and Information Science, specializing in archival administration, and my academic background also includes a degree in Fisheries and coursework in Computer Science. Before shifting to a career in archives, I worked across diverse fields, including fisheries, aerospace, and IT.

My wife, Leigh White, and I have been part of the UU Lansing community since the early 2000s and became members in 2006. I’ve been actively involved with the church archives since 2007, and both of our daughters enjoyed growing up in UU Lansing’s Religious Education (RE) program.

I look forward to connecting with you through these blog posts as we delve into the stories that have shaped UU Lansing over the years.