The Mercer County Veteran Services along with the Mercer County Veterans Council invites you to a Memorial Day Ceremony on Sunday, May 27, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. The ceremony will be held at the Field of Honor located within Greenwood Cemetery at 1800 Hamilton Avenue in Hamilton, NJ. This event is open to the public. For more information, please visit http://www.state.nj.us/counties/mercer/departments/vs/index.html and select “Memorial Day Ceremony” on the right.

For Immediate Release
May 3, 2012

Contact:
William Passodelis
607-797-8407

Community Invited to Attend Pre-Planning Seminar at Vestal Hills Memorial Park

On Tuesday, May 15, 2012, the local community residents are invited to attend an educational seminar sponsored by Vestal Hills Memorial Park, at 7:00 p.m. at the Office.

This seminar will provide practical information everyone needs to know in order to make an informed decision about their final resting place before the time of need.

The seminar is offered at no cost to help people discover the benefits of pre-planning their burial, entombment or cremation needs.

“Until they are faced with handling arrangements for a loved one at the time of need, most people are not aware that there are more than 90 details that need to be addressed from the time a death occurs until after the burial or entombment takes place,” explained Bernard Stoecklein, President of Vestal Hills Memorial Park. “We are offering these Seminars at Vestal Hills Memorial Park to help members of the community recognize the importance of pre-planning their final arrangements.

Your R.S.V.P. to 607-797-8407 would be appreciated to help with seating arrangements.

Vestal Hills Memorial Park
3997 Vestal Road
Vestal, NY 13850
607-797-8407

William Cahoone Johnson Jr. was a 19-year-old seaman from Hawthorne, NJ, who was on the RMS Titanic when it sunk in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912.

One of Johnson’s traveling companion’s, William Henry Törnquist, was interviewed after the disaster in the Paterson Morning Call.  Törnquist described Johnson as having unwavering bravery during the tragedy as he went to work getting the women and children safely lowered into the lifeboats.  Johnson was last seen climbing to the bridge with another officer as the last lifeboat left and the Titanic took its final plunge.

William Johnson is buried in North Jersey, but his parents and sister are buried at the Laurel Grove Cemetery in Totowa.  The Titanic International Society occasionally erects memorial stones for those who were lost on the ship.  Robert Bracken, who is a trustee and treasurer of the Titanic International Society, would like to see William Johnson honored at Laurel Grove with a memorial stone so that he may be reunited, in some way, with his family.

To read the full article visit:
Hawthorne seaman died helping to save the lives of others on the Titanic

Vestal Hills Memorial Park
3997 Vestal Road
Vestal, NY 13850
607-797-8407

For Immediate Release:  April 9, 2012

Contact: Bernard E. Stoecklein Jr.          1-800-CMS-1981

High school seniors face intense competition for acceptance into colleges and universities and rising tuition costs add to their stress. The Board of Trustees of Vestal Hills Memorial Park understands the challenges that today’s teens face and is committed to helping them realize their dreams of pursuing higher education and ultimately their chosen careers. Vestal Hills, in conjunction with its affiliate The Realize Your Dream Foundation, recently awarded scholarships to three local students.

Ariana Rose Tagliaferri, of Binghamton, was awarded a $2,000 scholarship. The daughter of Gerardo and Lisa Tagliaferri, Ariana Rose is a senior at Binghamton High School who plans to pursue a career in medicine.

Jessica Kemmerling, of Owego, was the recipient of a $1,000 Realize Your Dream scholarship. Jessica, who is a senior at Owego Free Academy, plans to attend Syracuse University and to major in Advertising. She is the daughter of Kurt and Audra Kemmerling.

Vestal Memorial Park’s trustees awarded Brittney Nicole Richardson, of Vestal, a $1,000 scholarship. Brittany is a senior at Vestal High School who plans to major in psychology at Suny Geneseo or the University of Scranton. She is the daughter of Connie Fisher and Wayne Richardson.

“We are very pleased to award scholarships to these three talented students,” said Bernard E. Stoecklein Jr., president of Vestal Hills Memorial Park. The Realize Your Dream scholarship was created for students who display a zest for life, a thirst for knowledge, a need to achieve, the courage to make tough decisions and the confidence to stand alone.  It is presented in the belief that a striving, committed person can utilize the wisdom acquired through learning to make a difference in their own life as well as in the lives of others. These three young women exhibit all of those qualities.”

The Realize Your Dream Foundation provides financial support to local high school seniors pursuing collegiate studies in communities in which CMS-affiliated cemeteries and memorial parks are located. For consideration, students are required to complete the scholarship application and maintain a grade point average of 3.2 or higher.

For more information about the Realize Your Dream Foundation’s scholarship opportunities contact Vestal Hills Memorial Park at 607-797-8407.

Hollywood Memorial Park and Cemetery
1500 & 1621 Stuyvesant Avenue
Union, NJ 07083
908-688-4300

For Immediate Release:  April 9, 2012

Contact: Bernard E. Stoecklein Jr.      1-800-CMS-1981

High school seniors face intense competition for acceptance into colleges and universities and rising tuition costs add to their stress. The Board of Trustees of Hollywood Memorial Park and Cemetery understands the challenges that today’s teens face and is committed to helping them realize their dreams of pursuing higher education and ultimately their chosen careers. Hollywood Memorial Park and Cemetery, in conjunction with its affiliate The Realize Your Dream Foundation, recently awarded a scholarship to a local student.

Shalyn M. Brangman of Union, New Jersey has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship to the college of her choice.  Shalyn is the daughter of Sharon and Ronald Brangman.  She is a senior at the Academy for Information Technology and plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Rowan University.

“We are very pleased to award this scholarship to this talented student,” said Bernard E. Stoecklein Jr., president of Hollywood Memorial Park & Cemetery. The Realize Your Dream scholarship was created for students who display a zest for life, a thirst for knowledge, a need to achieve, the courage to make tough decisions and the confidence to stand alone.  It is presented in the belief that a striving, committed person can utilize the wisdom acquired through learning to make a difference in their own life as well as in the lives of others. This young woman exhibits all of these qualities.”

The Realize Your Dream Foundation provides financial support to local high school seniors pursuing collegiate studies in communities in which CMS-affiliated cemeteries and memorial parks are located. For consideration, students are required to complete the scholarship application and maintain a grade point average of 3.2 or higher.

For more information about the Realize Your Dream Foundation’s scholarship opportunities contact Hollywood Memorial Park & Cemetery at 908-688-4300.

For Immediate Release
March 27, 2012

Contact William Passodelis
908-851-9640

Community Invited to Attend Pre-Planning Seminar

On Thursday March 29, 2012 everyone is welcome to attend an educational seminar located at Junior’s 386 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY  11201.  The seminars will be held at 11:00 a.m. and in the afternoon at 2:00 p.m.

The seminar sponsored by Hollywood Memorial Park and Cemetery will provide practical information everyone needs to know in order to make an informed decision about their final resting place before the time of need.

The seminar is offered at no cost to help people discover the benefits of pre-planning their burial, entombment or cremation needs.

To register for one of these seminars, please call 1-800-CMS-1981.
CMS Mid-Atlantic

You can find an app for almost everything on your mobile device, and funeral arrangements are not excluded from the technology.  A creative and new trend is to provide funeral directors and families with instant information for funeral planning.  A number of applications are on the market, and they are designed to offer services such as viewing the hours of operation, GPS maps, QR code scanners and lists explaining what you need to do when someone dies.

To view a sampling of some of the applications, visit:

http://www.iphoneness.com/iphone-apps/helpful-iphone-apps-for-funerals/