Lindley Family Honor Mother with Memorial Garden at Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital
Posted Date: 6/22/2021
KINGWOOD, WV (June 21, 2021) – The family of the late Mildred Thornton Lindley is honoring
and remembering Mildred through the creation of a memorial garden at Mon Health Preston
Memorial Hospital in Kingwood, WV. Her memorial garden will be dedicated on Tuesday, July
6 at 10:00 AM.
The idea for the memorial garden began when Mildred’s family stayed with her as a patient at
PMH during her battle with cancer. The family was touched by the compassionate care she
received and wanted to do something special for the staff and other patients receiving care.
Instead of a gravel lot and brick wall, the family wanted more patients to have access to better
nature views. The family then decided to create a garden to make a patient’s stay less stressful
and enjoy a speedier recovery.
“As someone with a deep appreciation for nature and a love of gardening, this garden serves as
a lasting reminder of Mom’s life-long passion for gardening,” Mildred’s son, Garth Lindley
explained. “I work for the University of California, Davis’ Arboretum and Public Garden because
of my mother’s influence. In everything we do at the Arboretum, we try to find as many ‘wins’ as
possible, and so my vision is that this garden is just the beginning.”
The garden was the joint effort of several people, businesses, and organizations, including PMH
and its Chief Administrative Officer, Melissa Lockwood, who provided financial and
administrative support for the project. Sara Saurino of Studio on Stony Run designed the
garden, and Modern Homestead provided the plantings. Mildred was a Master Gardener and
Cranberry Garden Club member, which planted a tree in her memory.
Garth hopes that this garden will inspire other families and community members to surround the
entire PMH facility with beautiful gardens so that patients and family members can enjoy a
beautiful landscape while facing some of the most stressful times of their lives.
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