Sackville Cemetery

09/01/2026

🌿 Question of the Day: “Can I plant a shrub on my family lot?” 🤔

We had a chance to speak with some lovely ladies today who asked a great question: Are we allowed to plant things, like a small bush, on a family lot?

The answer is yes, with some reasonable guidelines.

Our cemetery rules allow small shrubs, flowers and ornamental bushes, but we ask that you speak with us before planting, just as our visitors today did. Larger-growing trees and shrubs require permission, and any planting needs to be suitable for the lot and manageable over the long term.

Why, you might ask?

The photo here is a great example.

These beautiful evergreens likely began many years ago as small, attractive shrubs beside a family monument. Over time, they grew large enough to hide the stone, and we recently spent considerable time carefully trimming them back so the monument could be seen again.

There’s nothing “wrong” with the planting pictured here. It’s simply a wonderful real-life example of how a small, appropriate planting can change over many decades.

Every family who plants something intends to look after it. But life happens. People move away, get busy, and eventually generations pass.

Cemeteries have to think differently because we have to think in perpetuity.

If a planting eventually requires about 1½ hours of care each year, we estimate that the labour, equipment and materials involved in maintaining something like the shrubs pictured could cost roughly $150 a year. That’s approximately $1,500 over 10 years, $3,000 over 20 years, or $7,500 over 50 years and that’s before inflation.

And we care for roughly 2,000 lots!

Of course, we aren’t expecting 2,000 shrubs to appear tomorrow! 😂 But if they did, at $150 a year each, the long-term cost would be enormous… potentially $15 million over 50 years before inflation.

It’s a silly example, but it illustrates a very real part of cemetery management: small decisions multiplied over thousands of lots and many decades become big ones.

That beautiful little shrub planted today could become a maintenance responsibility for the cemetery decades from now.

Our rules recognize this reality. If a tree, shrub or other planting becomes disruptive to neighbouring lots or difficult to maintain, the lot owner may be asked to maintain or remove it. If necessary, the cemetery has the authority to trim or remove it.

So please don’t be afraid to ask! We love that families want to beautify and care for their loved ones’ resting places. We simply want to help you choose something that works beautifully today and remains manageable for those caring for the cemetery long after us.

That is part of what perpetual care means. 🌿

08/27/2026

A big shout-out to Holstead Farms for supplying the amazing flowers for our Perpetual Flower Program this year!

Our Perpetual Flower Program provides for flowers to be planted and cared for year after year, in perpetuity, as a lasting tribute on participating lots. Each year, we select new flowers specifically suited to the location and growing conditions of each lot.

Last summer was exceptionally hot, and even with a lot of watering, we just didn’t get the show we’ve had this year.

A lot of credit goes to Roger, who never missed a watering and made sure these beauties thrived all season. And we have to admit, this is our favourite time when they’re at their absolute fullest! 🌺

We love seeing this much colour throughout the cemetery. These plantings are a beautiful living tribute to those resting here, and something everyone who visits the cemetery gets to enjoy.

Thank you Holstead Farms and Roger for helping make the cemetery so beautiful this year!

08/26/2026

🌳 We are very happy to see one of the Sackville Rural Cemetery’s beautiful old trees recognized as part of Tantramar’s Terrific Trees!

Our mature English oak in the northwest corner of the cemetery was selected for its impressive size, weathered trunk and wide canopy.

And it’s certainly not the only terrific tree here! Our grounds are home to many beautiful mature trees, each adding to the character of the cemetery.

Thank you to the Municipality of Tantramar for celebrating the trees that make our community special. Come for a walk, visit our English oak, and see what other terrific trees you can find!

08/24/2026

Mr. Frank Stokes has come into our care. We extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends. Our grounds are always open to those who wish to visit and remember him.

It is with great sadness that the family of Frank Stewart Stokes announces his passing in Fredericton, New Brunswick, on August 17, 2026, at the age of 87.

Born May 7, 1939, in Middle Sackville, New Brunswick, Frank was the son of the late Frank and Jannie (Wheaton) Stokes.At just 16 years of age, with special permission from his parents, Frank began what would become a distinguished career of more than 50 years of service with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Working in communications, his career took him to postings throughout Canada and abroad, including France, Winnipeg, Penhold, Montreal, Ottawa, Germany, Kingston, Debert, Damascus and the Netherlands. Through many years of dedicated service, Frank rose to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer and later received his commission, retiring as Captain.

Frank was particularly proud to have served as Aide-de-Camp to the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. Following his retirement, his commitment to service continued as Commanding Officer of Air Cadets Branch 333 and through his volunteer work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He was also a longtime member of the Fredericton City Club.

Outside of his professional and community commitments, Frank enjoyed golf, curling, fishing, travel and was a lifelong runner. He greatly valued family and the opportunity to bring those he loved together and entertain.

Frank is survived by his wife of over 40 years, Florence Stokes; his daughter, Tanya Stokes; his siblings Charlotte (Aubrey Lewis) Bulmer, Faye Gouchie, Douglas (Bonnie) Stokes, Tony (Valerie) Stokes and Laurice (Alain) Cormier; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, Frank was predeceased by his siblings Doreen Ward, Donald Stokes, Sharon Siddall and Linda Lewis and his brother in laws Herman Bulmer and Patrick Gouchie.

Arrangements are under the care and guidance of Jones Funeral Home, 70 Bridge Street, Sackville, NB (506-364-1300). Cremation has taken place. A funeral service will be held on Monday, August 24, 2026 at 1:00pm. Frank will be laid to rest in the Sackville cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Frank’s memory may be made to Make-A-Wish Foundation, Cancer Society, Sackville Legion or charity of your choice.

Sharing of memories and condolences may be sent to the family by visiting the online memorial at www.jonesfuneralhome.ca or through the Jones Funeral Home page.

08/20/2026

The hydrangeas are putting on quite a show at the cemetery this week!

Hard to beat this view on an August afternoon. ❤️

08/19/2026

Both Wood (pictured in comments) and Crane are at rest with their families in our cemetery.

There is also an unverified bit of local history that we love: the trees in our lower section, known as Maple Slope, may have come from the property we know today as Cranewood.

We have no way of knowing for certain whether the story is true, but if it is, there is something rather lovely about it — both men now rest beneath trees that may have come from the property they each once called home.

We may never know for sure, but it’s a nice thought.

08/16/2026

Tell your parents we say thank you.

And your grandparents.

And probably your great-grandparents, too!

As we come to the completion of Phase One of the cemetery’s archive project, we keep finding evidence of generations of community support. Through the Great Depression, the Second World War, and all the ordinary years in between, people gave what they could.

Among the records are little yellow donation books like the one in this video. Some gave a few dollars. Others gave more. Page after page, year after year, the community kept showing up.

I wish we could go back and tell them what those contributions became part of.

They were helping to care for the cemetery in their own time, but they were also contributing to a tradition of community support that has carried forward for generations.

In a way, it was a gift not opened in their lifetime.

Imagine telling someone who gave a few dollars 100 years ago that, a century later, their generosity would still be remembered as part of what helped sustain this place and that today the grass they once saw cut with a scythe is maintained with riding mowers!

Imagine trying to explain a riding mower to them!

It is a good reminder that the work we do and the decisions we make today aren’t only for us. They are also for the people who will be connected to the Sackville Cemetery in 2126.

By then, perhaps they won’t need mowers at all.

Maybe they’ll cut the grass with lasers. 😂

Whatever they’re using, we hope they’ll look back at the records we’re creating today and see the same thing we see in these little yellow books: Generations of people caring for a place they knew would matter to generations yet to come.

There is an old proverb that says a society grows great when people plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in.

Perhaps cemeteries are a little like that, too.

08/11/2026

Safety first!

If you’ve been through the cemetery lately, you may have noticed that the entrance looks a little different!

The large tree pictured here was recently removed for safety. Over time, high winds had been bringing down more and more branches, and the tree had reached the end of its life.

Our mature trees are an important part of the character and beauty of the cemetery, and we value them greatly. But as they age, they also require careful attention. When a tree becomes hazardous particularly near our roads, pathways, monuments, or areas regularly used by visitors public safety has to come first.

A special thank you to Roger, who has several decades of experience with this kind of work, for coordinating its safe removal and helping to keep the cemetery safe for staff and visitors.

It’s certainly changed the view, but it has also made the entrance a safer place for everyone.

08/10/2026

It’s hard to believe that we’re beginning to say goodbye to our student workers as each of them prepares to head back to university over the coming weeks.

We were especially lucky with this year’s team. Without them, many of the projects we’ve tackled beyond ordinary cemetery maintenance simply wouldn’t have been possible.

This photo was taken while we were digitizing old cemetery records. Somewhere among the maps, letters, and ledgers, we stumbled upon a letter written by my grandmother to Andrew’s great-grandfather, written thirty-three years before Andrew was even born. Fifty-two years later, there we sat, passing those same papers back and forth, marvelling at how ordinary correspondence quietly transforms into history.

The students also left us with plenty of ideas to think about. Why not a compost bin for leaves and garden waste? What about conservation grants? After all, the cemetery is full of wildlife. Ideas worth considering as we look toward the future.

To Ben, Nate, and Andrew: thank you for keeping the cemetery looking beautiful, even during those weeks when you could practically hear the grass growing. Thank you for your good humour, for working through every kind of weather, for building our new columbarium, and for spending rainy days sorting through decades of records and memories.

We’ll miss the energy, ideas, and laughter you brought to the cemetery this summer. As each of you heads back to university, we hope you’ll always remember that this summer, you helped preserve not only a cemetery, but the stories of an entire community.

We wish you all the very best in the years ahead.

P.S. About our inside joke: you’ll always be “one of us”—and yes, I found it on the ceiling!

08/05/2026

Mrs. Martena Ida (Fillmore) Estabrooks has come into our care, and we extend our sincere condolences to her family and friends. We also wish safe travels to the many loved ones who have journeyed from near and far to celebrate and honour her remarkable life today.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Martena Ida (Fillmore) Estabrooks on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the Lexington Medical Center, Columbia, South Carolina, USA, at the age of 95.

Honouring Martena’s wishes, cremation has taken place and there will be a graveside service in the Sackville Cemetery on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at 11:00 AM with Rev. Morris Mills officiating. Everyone is welcome to attend.

To leave a message for the family, make a memorial donation, and for more information, please visit: https://campbellsfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/901/Martena-Estabrooks/obituary.html -start