Beauty & Healing in Burials

As a natural cemetery, conservation site, and public park - we are learning the balance of tending to the land without over-tending to the land. Nature constantly reminds us that we are not in control and that it is wild. As Carolina Memorial Sanctuary continues to evolve, we are learning more and more how to be in rhythm with natural cycles, and how to ensure that the beauty of the land is preserved.

IN THE NEWS: Mountain XPress


Seniors hesitant to engage in end-of-life conversations

Our Director, Caroline Yongue, was recently interviewed for an article published by the Mountain XPress. Here is the start of the article:

"Asheville resident Sharon Evans, 66, had an unexpected brush with death five years ago. “I was cooking dinner for my brother, who was going to come and visit me for a couple of days. He found me sitting in a chair saying, “I’m not doing well,” Evans says. “I don’t remember any of that.”  Evans subsequently spent six days in a coma as a result of a severe allergic reaction to medication.

Although Evans had regularly confronted the issue of end-of-life care decisions with patients in her 30-year career as a hospice nurse, she says her own death had not been on the forefront of her mind. But at 42, she notes, she had the foresight to put her end-of-life wishes in writing, which turned out to be useful when her emergency occurred…"

How To Dig A Grave By Hand

 Volunteer Love