Dear Mr. Hamilton, All of us at the Shelby County Mayor's Office send you our sincere thanks for assisting the family of Ms. K. L. As you know from Public Affairs Officer, Steve Shular, the family was interviewed by Action News Five reporter Kontji Anthony on May 29th about Ms. L.'s tragic death. From the enclosed news story, Ms. L.'s 12-year-old daughter saw her mother killed. To add to the tragedy, her father was charged with the crime. Additionally, the family had recently buried another family member and was without finances to pay for Ms. L.'s burial. You and the staff at Memorial Park are to be commended for your kindness. It's gratifying to know Ms. L.'s family will have a dignified burial at Memorial Park Cemetery. Time and again, Dennis, you and your staff have demonstrated a sincere desire to help others in our community who have special needs. We appreciate all you do to ensure that Shelby County remains a community where true hospitality and generosity exists.

We appreciate everything you all did to help us in arranging the service and visitation for our mother. Everyone was so kind and helpful. Aaron than you for taking care of all the details to make everything run so smoothly.

Dear Mr. Randall - I wanted to commend Ms. Charlotte Powers for the outstanding job she did for me and my family following the death of my father on 11/29/2012. Ms. Powers made me aware of the discount program you have for family members to purchase property at Memorial Park for a period of time following another family member's death. When I told her that I was interested in investigating the options, she met with me and my wife on numerous occasions, going over all the details, driving us around the grounds, and generally making us feel comfortable with the whole process. She was never pushy, but was always dependable to call when she said she would. I could have easily procrastinated my way past the deadline to make a decision, but she kept everything on track in a professional and courteous manner. Ms. Powers did an outstanding job for my wife and me and I thought you would like to know, and should know. We are pleased with our decision, and enjoyed working with her. I would recommend her to anyone in need of her services

Dear Mr. Gramling, From the time six weeks ago that Mrs. Lucie Roane (widow, the late Rev. Roane) said to speak with you, our Family has benefited from a significant increased peace of mind. As you and I discussed, our Mother, is under full hospice care and the batteries are quickly running down. Our objective has been two-fold: (1) to keep her in her own home and (2) allow her to live as comfortably and stress-free as possible. Your assignment of Ms. Tammy King as our Family Service Counselor is proving a wonderful fit. Ms. King took the time to come and meet our Mother last week while she is still with us. Following their long private conversation, we decided to proceed with a full basic commitment to Memorial Park at the basic level. Over the next month we expect to flesh out a few more details, particularly after Crossroads Hospice completes their Book of Memories around which the specific nature of further memorial services will be determined. Although a small matter in the scope of Memorial Park's business, I cannot say enough about Ms. King's natural compassion. Even though relatively new to your business, Ms. King has a rare natural compassion for what people go through. In my experience as a business executive and, more recently, a university instructor, Ms. King's core skills are uncommon while still being able to comfort someone as acutely aware in life as our Mother. SO, Mr. Gramling, many thanks to you. And I hope you and I will be able to meet in the near future.

I want to thank you for all the help you offered in dealing with my mother's funeral. Everyone we encountered at the funeral home was very helpful and considerate. I also want to thank you for the rose you sent.

Our family and friends all commented on what a beautiful service we had. Everyone at Memorial Park was friendly and professional with compassion. Michael and Joy Holt were very thorough and helpful, and they were very easy to get in contact with. I appreciate this act of kindness very much. J’s “Celebration of Life” was lovely. The programs were perfect. The baby grand piano perfect, the newspaper article nice, and how helpful you were to do all of this for me. Phillip Hamilton was in charge the day of the funeral. What a wonderful man he was to help me! What comfort I felt through his guidance. Please thank him for me. Thank you.

Firstly, I would like to apologize for the tardiness of this letter. It has been quite some time before I have been able to sit down to compose this letter. I am writing to you about two gentlemen that touched our lives on Christmas Eve. My father, H.L.T., passed away at his home in the early morning hours of December 24th. Mr. George Roseburg and Mr. Chuck Vinson from Memorial Park arrived for Dad. They were more than kind, caring and gracious in a difficult moment. Dad had 24- hour care and the day healthcare provider, J.P., came to be with the family and help my mother. I cannot tell you how appreciative I was for J’s coming to be with us. The family had a prayer before Dad left home and J. returned to her car to give the family some space. From the street came two long blasts from a car horn. My husband went to see what the problem was, promptly returning to call 911; Joyce was in cardiac arrest. The hospice nurse, George Roseburg, Chuck Vinson, and I flew to the car to see if we could give any assistance. Frankly, I was totally useless, but the hospice nurse, George Roseburg, and Chuck Vinson stepped right up and started working as a team administering CPR. The Fire Department arrived and immediately began working on J. They eventually transported her to the ER accompanied by my husband. I am very sad to say J. passed away that morning. Mr. Roseburg and Mr. Vinson never lost their composure and immediately returned to tending to Dad. A lasting image I will always have is one of these gentlemen kneeling before my mother, offering a red rose and a message of condolence. It was difficult to lose my father but to have another death within just a few short hours was so very hard to comprehend, and at Christmas too. The service and care we received from everyone at Memorial Park was personal and above expectation. Aaron Hazen caringly helped us with the arrangements, and Jason Dixon was meticulous and attentive with visitation and the service. Marsha Jones saw to every detail of Dad’s final resting place. However, Mr. George Roseburg and Mr. Chuck Vinson represented Memorial Park Funeral Home above and beyond all expectations and did so with great poise and professionalism on that early Christmas Eve morning. I hope you will extend to them my mother’s and my great appreciation.

Dear Dennis, I can’t begin to thank you enough for what you did for me and my family. I truly appreciate the flower spray for my mother! They were so perfect. As if that wasn’t enough, you provided a beautiful floral arrangement that we are still enjoying today. Words can’t express all you did for us. It was so good to see you again and I was pleasantly surprised and glad to see you and Jimmie while we were finalizing arrangements. Everyone involved- Elizabeth, Lucy, Chad, Gary and you were awesome! You guys are simply the best. Thank you again for helping us to honor my mother. Take care. I look forward to seeing you soon.

To the many people who work at Memorial Park Funeral Home, I want to say thank you. My mother recently died and you took care of her and of us as we wandered around trying to find our balance. Every single person we met held out a hand, wore a sweet expression, and helped us find a room, a chair, a glass of water, a bathroom or whatever else we needed. The traffic controllers were fabulous. They had patience and softness to their voiced instructions that touched us deeply. We noticed their respect and kindness. How did you find this kind of human beings who stood in the rain and the dark and managed to make us think they were honored to be there? We thank you all. I only remember Tempia and Aaron’s names. But I bet you God knows them and blesses you all.