TulsaPets Magazine January 2024

14 TulsaPets • January / February 2024 In the Spirit of Love All Souls Adds Pet Memorial to Its Garden by Rowena Mills | Photos by Kara Hamilton W hen senior minister Martin Lavanhar dedicated the All Souls Pet Memorial on October 8, 2023, it was the natural convergence of two things. The grounds of All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa had long been an animal-friendly place, with bird feeders, birdbaths, and more recently, a butterfly garden. And for more than 30 years, the All Souls Memorial Garden had been a place to commemorate church members and their families by spreading ashes. Now animals can be honored there too. The late Barbara Wolf, wife of longtime senior minister John Wolf, was instrumen- tal in developing the memorial garden, which opened in the 1980s. The Garden Room inside the church was dedicated in 1990 as part of the Reverend Wolf’s dream of building a special garden. As the Garden Grows The garden is intended to be a place for people to connect and find comfort. Vol- unteers at All Souls look after it in all four seasons, says Kathy Hinkle, chairman of the garden team. “We plant, feed, fertil- ize, weed (lots and lots of weeding!), trim, prune, water, transplant, etc. We make long-term plans and do seasonal plantings, restore benches, and care for the fish and wild birds. We also work with families who wish to make memorial donations.” Hinkle adds, “There is something else that I never expected that has turned out to be part of what the garden team does. As the church transitioned out of the COVID pandemic, working in the garden was the safest activity that could resume. It made folks feel so much better to be around other people, even at a safe distance. Even more important, when someone was dealing with a loss — like the death of a spouse or child — being in nature was powerful therapy. We have had several participants who have shared how much it has helped them. The church decided last year to now list the garden team as a part of the church’s umbrella care program for our members.” Hinkle says, “The garden team is work- ing toward sustainability so this place of peace and beauty for families to remember their loved ones will thrive long after we are all gone.” Terry Lastinger, a retired horticulturist and teacher who is on the garden team, says, “Our goal is a healthy living envi- ronment for the entire garden — beds, trees, and lawns.  For that, we needed healthy, living soil.  We kick-started that All Souls Unitarian Church has a new area to commemorate beloved pets.