Jurisdiction:  Hagar Township Southwest Corner of Section 15 and Northwest Corner of Section 22

 

Established:  1953

 

Status:  Active. BCGS Cemetery Records include information up to and including 2012.

 

Location:  North M-63, South of Hagar Shore Road

 

Cemetery Governing Body:  Prime Succession Corporation

 

Location of Cemetery Records:  North Shore Memorial Gardens Office

 

Size:  175 acres

 

With no exquisite headstones or towering monuments, North Shore Memory Gardens is like few cemeteries in Berrien County.  The markers are all flush with the ground and the only buildings on site are a mausoleum and crematorium in the back.  The only other visible structures from the road are the section monuments, benches and trees.

 

Frank Loomis, who also owned Mission Hills Cemetery in Cass County, developed North Shore Memory Gardens in 1952.  In 1977, North Shore was sold to David L. Baushke who maintained ownership until his death in May of 1986.  Ronald W. Starks, son of Robert Starks of Kerley & Starks Funeral Home then purchased the cemetery.  However, Prime Succession Corporation subsequently bought out Kerley & Starks Funeral Home, as well as North Shore Memory Gardens. 

 

The first sexton was Benjamin Berry who also owned and operated Midway Florist in Watervliet.  Benjamin Berry died on February 11, 2003 and is now laid to rest the cemetery he helped care for.  The cemetery’s first burial was that of a Veteran, Charles D. Pullins, who was born in 1893 and laid to rest December 2, 1953. 

 

The “Avenue of Flags” consist of flags donated by families of deceased service men and women and are flown on special days.

 

As of January of 1985, there were over 4,700 burials and over 1,100 cremations.

 

Prime Succession Corporation Inc., the owner of North Shore Memory Gardens and other funeral homes and cemeteries in 19 states filed for bankruptcy protection in 2000.  Based in Erlanger, Kentucky, Prime Succession also owns Kerley & Starks Funeral Home in St. Joseph, Smith-Starks Funeral Home in New Buffalo, and Swem Funeral Home in Buchanan.

 

   Written By Rosetta F. (Tunis) Nybro and Chriss Lyon