By J. Charles Stotz
Former Executive Director Southeast Missouri Hospital Foundation

In the crisp autumn air this past October, the family of Lacey Nicole Edwards gathered in the Southeast Missouri Hospital Foundation’s Commemorative Brick Garden to dedicate a beautiful angel statue in Lacey’s memory.

This memorial was created through a generous donation to the Southeast Missouri Hospital Foundation in support of the SHARE Bereavement Support program by Wanda Drury, grandmother of Lacey.

This is the latest memorial in the garden that now includes more than 855 memorials and tributes.

Who would have believed when the garden was opened in 1996 that this Commemorative Brick Garden would become for so many a lasting place of solace, reverence and precious memories.

The garden conception was the creation of Ann Brinkopf, president of the Foundation Board of Directors (1990-1991) and Sally Owen, a member of the Hospital’s Marketing Department.

Following the successful capital campaign, which raised $1.5 million for the Clinical Services building at Southeast, the Foundation next searched for an idea that might help us raise donations to support patient care services and needed equipment at our Hospital.

Patterned after a concept seen by Mrs. Owen in Memphis, it was decided to create the special memorial garden adjacent to the Lobby soon to be built. The idea would be to offer bricks to donors who might wish to memorialize a loved one or commemorate a birth or other special event.

Bricks are sold in three sizes ranging in price from $50 to $1000. The program’s kickoff took place at the 1993 Annual Meeting of Southeast Missouri Hospital. Two Foundation volunteers, Cherie Herbst and Linda Tewis donned brick costumes that evening and sold more than $13,000 worth of brick dedications.

At the time the garden was finished, we had sold 341 small, 185 medium and 38 large bricks. The net income reached was $72,050. However, more than money was exchanged.

My favorite story of the program came halfway through our sales effort, sometime in late 1997. A call came to my office from a woman who had purchased a brick in memory of her mother. As she began to talk tome I could tell she was sobbing. Worried that we had made a mistake in her brick, I asked if there was some difficulty. She replied: "Oh no, you have done a wonderful thing for our family. My mother passed away at your hospital and then was returned home to Fort Worth for burial. I live here with my three children, and until you developed this garden my children had no place to visit and remember grandmother."

This is just one story about the immeasurable value of our garden, which is visited often and cherished as a place for quiet reflection, serenity and remembrance. To date, the Foundation has raised $125,000 from this program.

If you wish to make a dedication or memorial, you may contact the Foundation office at 573-334-9254 or click here for a printable Brick program form (PDF).