Southland Memorial Gardens

We lost my dad back in June of 2024 and the staff were amazing and still are. They keep everything cut and clean and dad’s marker turned out absolutely beautiful. Gray was and still is amazing. She really cares about the families and helps them get thru such a difficult time and the staff that does the upkeep take great pride in what they do.

I wanted share my experience. Visited my cousin who is buried here today. Its been 33yrs since I was last here. I had an idea of exactly where he was, but couldn't find him. One of the office staff saw us walking around, pretty obvious we were lost. She drove over and asked if she could help, went to the office and printed out a map, and exactly where he was. She brought us waters, and fans to help with the heat. She stayed with us until he was found. Super nice and very thankful she assisted. Wish I got her name. Thank you!

I dont know why i took so long to write this. Maybe hurt heartbroken. We buried my mom here. 10 years ago and what was a very hard time just got harder. Her and my dads plots got mixed up. Someone got buried in my dads by mistake and the one on my moms other side was sold and well my parents were not going to be buried together. A solution was to exhume my mom and move her they would let us pick the spot and they would upgrade the headstone. I live clear across the states so talking with dad and brothers we agreed. We picked a very nice spot and everything was great. Well considering moving mom. Then the day to exhume came. We were told its best not to be there because it hard to see a resting place being dug up. So we didnt go. Fast forward everything is done and we are happy considering. Then my dad gets a call from somebody he didn't know but was involved in digging my mom up. Her tomb or cement thing she was in some how was dropped he said.. yes she was was dropped and broken her casket unsealed. We were never were told. Until a couple years later. They had put back her in tomb cement thing in the ground but her casket was broken. Unsealed to the point items in the casket had fallen out. This man said they were told put everything in the tomb and just pretend it didnt happen. We cant prove it. The man didn't leave a name or number but we had to believe it because of things he describe from the casket.Dad distraught family a wreak managment changing and lost at what to do. No way mess with mom again. For sure she stays were she is. I guess i just want to say please before going here please look around. Look at the gravestones sinking in the ground or how crooked and unkempt they are that unkempt and not responsible for family to take care of. It took 2 years before they seeded my mom. My dad planted grass that they removed because it didnt match. Look were the babies are. All stacked so close to each other almost on top of one another. When I come home to visit and go to see my mom I leave hurt and angry and the horrible conditions of this place and wish someone would have warned us. UPDATE!!! I have now uploaded current pictures. Seriously how would you like to visit your loved ones with the ground under the headstone is gone big empty hole. Or the horrible conditions of the grounds. People that have lived ones here need to come together and say something. The more voices maybe something will get done. This place should be ashamed of itself. The loved ones left behind are already dealing with enough and should not have to deal with having their loved ones resting place look like trash or no one cares. ...Btw I contacted the person whom left a reply to my complaint. They left a message on my phone asking to talk when I called they were out and I never heard back..

The death of a loved one is unimaginable. I never dreamed that I would face the loss of my husband, Russell, at 44 years of age. When my life was full of uncertainty, Gray Craven, with Southland Memorial Garden, was there to guide me. Gray has the kindest, most gentle spirit. She was not only there to guide me through this chapter of life but to truly listen to what was important to Russell and me. Gray has laughed and cried with me as I have shared my stories of Russell and our life together. She understood the importance of capturing Russell’s spirit in his Life Portrait series memorial marker. I truly feel like Gray accepted this challenge, not as an assignment, but as a labor of love. She assured me through this process that we were going to capture the pure essence of Russell’s life….and that is exactly what Gray delivered! Gray has grown to know me so well through this process, that she knew the final proof was “the one” before she ever shared it with me. This kind of compassion, dedication and spirit of excellence is a rarity today, but Gray Craven possesses them all! Gray, thank you seems so inadequate for all that you have done for me and our family during this process over the last year. I am forever grateful and blessed to have had the opportunity to work with you. I entered your office in a state of loss but have exited having gained a dear friend.

People all over the world can view the details of their loved ones’ graves/memorials via an internet program called “Find a Grave.” Anyone who can’t physically travel to a cemetery can request a picture of their loved one’s memorial and volunteers make that happen by “claiming” a grave and physically going to the cemetery to take a photo. As a retired paralegal who enjoys genealogy, I volunteered to take pictures to fulfill requests in cemeteries that were located close to me. I was quite surprised to see almost 75 requests at Southland Memorial Gardens but decided to take on the challenge. I first met with Darlene Walker at the Caughman-Harman Funeral Home location that handles the cemetery. Ms. Walker was very kind and attentive to the particulars about the project and promptly followed up with me to coordinate my working with Gray Craven on it. Ms. Craven was very dedicated to the project and worked around her other duties as time permitted. I found her to be very cordial, focused, attentive and professional. The cemetery is huge and she provided me with maps of the different gardens which was a tremendous help in locating graves once she provided me with the name of the garden and number of each grave. Together we were able to complete the project in only a few weeks and locate all but four of the graves. Those four were marked as not having records at the funeral home so the list of almost 75 requests is now down to zero. Ms. Craven also assisted me with some questions and issues pertaining to graves I have purchased and some belonging to family members. She always had a smile and was very knowledgeable and helpful. She was also very prompt in responding to my requests. She is an asset to both Caughman-Harman Funeral Home and Southland Memorial Gardens.