Memorial Forest weekend enters 22nd year
Scores of newly planted trees in the Burnsmead area of Fish Creek Park had significant meaning for Calgary families this weekend.
Hundreds of families were set to gather in the park Saturday and Sunday, memorializing loved ones who died.
Now in its 22nd year, McInnis & Holloway have continued its annual Memorial Forest event by planting a tree in living memory of those for whom the funeral home has hosted celebrations of life.
Tim and Lisa Spurrell, along with their son, Ryan, came to the park Saturday afternoon to memorialize Lisa’s father, Fred Enns.
“You have to do something to remember, and if not for something like this, then what else would it be?” said Tim Spurrell.
The names of the loved ones will be added to a plaque at the entrance to the green space — something Lisa appreciated.
“It’s a really nice idea, we didn’t expect it,” she said.
“It was really nice to know they do these extra things and put the names up on the plaque in memory.”
Enns, born in Kitchener, Ont., before moving his family west to start a career in the oilpatch, died in March at age 91.
“He was very determined, very driven,” Lisa said.
“He liked adventure and sports and things. He liked individual sports, like tennis and golf. He pretty much kept (playing golf ) into his 70s.”
This is the sixth year that McInnis & Holloway has planted trees in the Burnsmead area. In years past, trees have been planted in forests in Nose Creek Valley, Airdrie’s Fletcher Park, Big Hill Springs Provincial Park and many other sites within Fish Creek Park.
To date, the funeral home has planted and maintained more than 50,000 trees in these areas.
“We are proud to be part of a program that provides a unique way for families to remember their loved one,” said Ernie Hagel, president of McInnis and Holloway.
“It adds meaning to the grieving process and allows families to find appropriate living and lasting memorials for those they have lost.”