“GARDEN OF HONOR”
General Rules and Regulations of the Garden of Honor Cemetery
and funeral services by the Post 217 Legion.
I. The Garden of Honor Committee reports to the Post Commander.
The terms ‘Cemetery’ and “Garden” as used in this document refers to the Garden of Honor. The term ‘Committee’ refers to the Garden of Honor Cemetery Committee. The Garden of Honor is located at 134 Centre Ave, Topton, PA. 19562, and has the capacity of 205 spaces. The Legion may, and it hereby expressly reserves the right, at any time, with or without notice, to adopt new rules and regulations or to amend, alter and/or repeal any rule, regulation and/or article, section or paragraph in these Rules and Regulations. Special cases may arise in which the literal enforcement of the rule may impose unnecessary hardship. The Legion, therefore, reserves the right, without notice, to make exceptions, suspensions or modifications in any of the Rules and Regulations when, in its judgment, the same appear advisable, and such temporary exceptions, suspensions or modifications shall in no way be construed as affecting the general application of such. The Legion retains to itself, for the benefit of all interments, full and complete supervision, control and management of the land, improvements, development, records, and the full and complete authority, rights and privileges to make, change administer and enforce all rules and regulations and restrictions not inconsistent with the laws of Pennsylvania wherein the Garden of Honor is located. Cemetery Hours Sun up to sun down, all days. Any person found on the Cemetery grounds after sundown will be considered a trespasser. Cemetery Office Hours By appointment, please phone the Legion and request to speak with the Garden of Honor Committee Chair.
1. No person, other than the committee, designated Legionnaires and their contracted workers, shall be allowed to perform any work within the Cemetery.
2. The Legion shall direct all improvements within the Cemetery and upon all burial plots before and after interments have been made herein.
3. Bicycles, skates, snowmobiles, motorcycles, horses, etc., may not be used on the Cemetery. Dogs are not permitted unless they are licensed certified service animals.
4. Bringing alcoholic beverages or any illegal drugs to the Cemetery is strictly prohibited.
5. The Cemetery shall have the right to enter upon or use any adjoining lot or lots to carry out its duties as to interments, placing of concrete slabs or markers, etc., without prior notice to adjacent plots.
6. No signs, notices or advertisements of any kind shall be allowed on the Cemetery unless placed by Post 217.
II. Interment & Funeral Regulations
1. Interments into a lot are restricted only to those entitled to burial therein according to these rules and regulations of the Ray A. Master Garden of Honor.
2. All burials at the Garden of Honor must use the services of a Funeral Director who
coordinates the details with the Legion’s Cemetery delegate as they would with another
cemetery. In addition to the cremation service, the Funeral Director will coordinate the proper
paperwork such as death certificates, certificates of cremations, conflict/war markers, a folded
flag, and contacting of the military, if requested by the family. Failure and/or refusing to use the
services of a funeral director will result in a charge of $1000 by the Legion to cover those costs.
3. No spouses, friends or other family members of eligible or non-eligible Legionaries of the
Garden of Honor presently buried or who may qualify in the future for burial, may be buried in
the cemetery, in any row. The Garden of Honor is for Legionnaires of Post 217, only!
4. The chair or a delegate of the Cemetery committee will select the location of the burial plot,
per Cemetery guidelines, and the location must be approved by the Post Commander. The
guidelines are:
a. Row 1 is reserved strictly for the internment of a Ray A. Master gravesite; no other burials are
permitted in this row.
b. Row 2 is reserved strictly for past Post 217 Commanders, no other burials are permitted.
c. Row 3 - 10, Is designated as the general burial area for Post 217 Legionnaires.
5. The Legion shall be in no way liable for any delay in the burial where a protest to the burial
has been made or where the rules and regulations of the cemetery have not been followed.
6. The use of one grave space shall be limited to interments or remains of one person.
7. Funerals services are to be held at the Garden of Honor either at 10:00 or 11:00 a.m., and
Final Honor services are performed only on a Saturday. Scheduled Final Honors services may
be postponed by the Committee due to weather conditions or for reasons as deemed necessary
by the Committee and or the Commander.
8. No unearthing of remains will be allowed without permission of the Post 217 Legion Executive
Committee and approval of the proper authorities.
9. The Committee shall in no way be liable for any container, receptacle or urn of cremated
remains placed in any lot. A permanent type of urn or vault is required for ground interment of
cremated remains. The scattering of other cremated remains in the Garden is prohibited.
III. Flower & Decoration Regulations
1. Planting of any type of vegetation or flowers will not be permitted. Artificial flowers,
arrangements, and designs are permitted if they remain on top of the concrete marker during
normal weather conditions.
2. The Legion reserves the right to remove all flowers, wreaths or other decorations from lots as
soon as they become unsightly. The Garden grounds will be checked for unfavorable
decorations randomly. The cemetery is also checked periodically for unsightly flowers and
decorations prior to Memorial Day, Flag Day, 4th of July and Veterans Day. For a family to
preserve any decorations placed on a grave, the decoration should be repaired, replaced or
removed prior to these holiday dates.
3. Fresh flower arrangements are allowed provided they are displayed in a disposable vase and
removed promptly when they become withered or unsightly. Glass vases and containers are not
permitted at any time.
4. Wreaths are allowed as winter decorations from mid-November through Mid-January.
5. Items not allowed to be placed on or around a lot within the Cemetery include but are not
limited to the following: shepherd’s hooks, standup decorations over 12”, coping, curbing,
decorative rocks, fencing, hedging, borders or enclosures.
6. Flags are placed on graves at all times of the year by the Legion. The committee checks
conditions of flags prior to Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Flag Day, and Veterans Day. Any
additional flags the next of kin wishes to display, such as a branch of service, must be approved
by the Committee and affixed per their direction.
7. The Committee shall have the right to remove any and all objects whose appearance and
condition warrant removal and/or violate the Cemetery’s rules and regulations. The Cemetery
will not be liable for any flower or decoration removed or lost by any cause.
IV. Cemetery Mowing
1. The Post will arrange and contract for periodic mowing and trimming of the cemetery grounds. Therefore, all flowers, decorations, mementos, and flags must be placed and designed to be easily removable for trimming of the concrete slabs.
V. Grave Markers, Memorials, and Plaques
1. All memorial bronze plaques are requisitioned through Berks County, Office of Veterans Affairs; the Cemetery Committee contact can assist the next of kin in completing the required application. Bronze plaques are placed and centered on the 2 ft x 3 ft concrete slab by the Cemetery Committee after they have been received.
2. The Cemetery Committee shall have the authority to reject any additional marker, memorial or memento items placed that, because of its size, type, design, inscription, inappropriate language, quality, color or method of construction is unsuitable for display and will be removed by the Committee.
3. The Cemetery committee reserves the right to prevent the placing or to remove any marker or other objects that do not comply with the standards of the Cemetery rules and regulations.
Rev. 1, 11/16/18