NORTH SMITHFIELD – At a surprise retirement party for Cindi Noble last Saturday, she got a conceptual look at a new stone that would be placed in her honor at the new Noble Serenity Garden at Hotchkiss Cemetery.
It was an emotional moment, but for Noble, nothing compared to when she saw the real thing at an unveiling ceremony at the cemetery on Monday, as her staff and family honored her.
“It’s very touching to me,” she said of seeing the completed garden with her name on the stone.
As previously reported by The Local Insider, Noble and her family at the Holt Funeral Home initiated the creation of the serenity garden, where people can spread the ashes of loved ones. The garden off Smithfield Road is meant to be a peaceful place and a beautiful place, full of flowers and future bushes.
Noble and her husband, Jim Gallagher, said the garden, including new benches and incoming moments with engraved names, exceeds all of their expectations, and is so beautiful.
The garden, with the help of volunteers, was developed for people who don’t have the resources for traditional burial, but want a sacred place where they can place the remains of their loved ones.
“We’re very proud of it, and I personally am very proud to be a part of it,” said Noble.
She recently sold Holt Funeral Home to her daughter, Amy Noble, as well as Chris Todd and Laura Alden
For volunteers, including Liane Jalette, Ed Walker, Richard Keene, and Steve Biron, the garden was a labor of love to give back to a woman and family who have given so much to so many grieving families over the years. Noble family members said those who helped them with the garden put in an enormous amount of work to get it done.
Biron said he also planned to contact someone to volunteer to take down a dead branch so it won’t come down on the side of the garden.
Jalette said the existing bushes installed with be removed, because they originally didn’t have plans to extend the garden beyond its metal railing. Rose of Sharon and burning bush plants will now be installed further back, creating a nice backdrop within the restored cemetery.
Other cemetery volunteers to chip in included Ed Walker, who installed a bench overlooking the garden, and Material Sand and Stone donated the loam for the work.
Volunteers and Noble family members discussed the need for regular watering and how it might be done. Cindi said a lot of love went into the garden, and they’re going to make sure the plants stay alive through the spring and summer.
The Hotchkiss Cemetery is located next to Union Cemetery on Smithfield Road, and volunteers have been slowly restoring it since 2017.
