Fred Wehr

At Middletown's Woodside Cemetery, which provides cremation services for Butler County, General Manager Fred Wehr said numbers have stayed steady at 18 percent for several years, likely due more to local religious affiliations that do not allow for cremation.

However, he could see that number spike as death rates increase with the baby boomer generation.

"There is going to come a time when cremations and number of deaths cross in the 2020s, meaning there is going to be an equal number of full casket burials and cremations but it is going to be very spotty depending on the location," he said.

Wehr did say that either form can be expensive, depending on some of the high-end items people use, like a mausoleum crypt or pricey urn. Woodside along with other cemeteries have been hurting with sales for awhile since Wehr said Butler County has been depressed since the AK Steel lockout and "people are not spending a lot of money on high-end products."

The black Indian granite, the same that forms the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is particularly suitable for laser etching, said Fred Wehr, Woodside's general manager.

Engraved pavers honoring other area veterans will be woven in front of the wall.The pavers will be sold to raise more for the project.U.S. and military service flags will rest atop the wall.

Floral decorations are welcome at any time, General Manager Fred Wehr said, but those wishing to save decorations or containers are asked to remove them from grave sites by June 7.

The 107-year-old cemetery , the resting place of some of Middletown's most notable citizens – George M. Verity , who founded Armco , Paul J. Sorg and many more – has won the National Professional Grounds Management Award and every award we can win through Middletown Clean Community's Beautification Recognition , said Fred Wehr , Woodside general manager.
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Wehr credits the help the cemetery gets from the MRDD crew for helping to keep it looking its best.One member of the crew will be starting his seventh season at Woodside.He does a multitude of things , and he does the majority of the mulching , Wehr said.

With more than 32 , 000 burials , and at least 32 , 000 monuments and markers to mow around , the cemetery used to have difficulty finding adequate labor , he said.But that's not so much of problem any more , thanks to the MRDD crews.

That's what's helped us win the awards , Wehr said.

As part of its mission as a full-service cemetery , Woodside constructed a crematorium a couple of years ago , only the second one in Butler County.Its Cremation Scattering Garden offers families a means for memorializing cremation.
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Fred Wehr outside Woodside Cemetery's crematory

Woodside conducted 485 dispositions total in 1997.

According to the Cremation Association of North America , approximately 25 percent of all dispositions in the U.S. will be cremation by the year 2000.
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Wehr comes by his career in the cemetery industry naturally.His father managed Greenwood Cemetery in Hamilton for 38 years.

I've been in the business all my life , he said.He worked at Greenwood as a teen-ager , then earned a degree in botany in college , which he has put to good use ever since.He is president of the local Rotary Foundation , a past president of the Ohio Association of Cemeteries , currently the secretary/treasurer of the area association and a speaker to local groups , sharing his knowledge of plants.

Woodside is heading toward designation as an arboretum , a process which involves identifying each plant in the cemetery , putting it all on a map , then making the maps available to the public.

We're constantly adding plant material to the cemetery , Wehr said.We've been working toward that , but our major concern is maintaining the cemetery , because that's what's important to families..

Backed by a $ 6 million trust fund , 20 percent of every purchase is invested in the Woodside Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund to assure the preservation of the cemetery in the future.

General manager Fred Wehr said floral decorations are welcome at any time, but some rules have been set up to maintain cemetery appearances.Anyone wishing to save decorations or containers, for example, should be sure to remove them before June 3.Groundskeepers will begin a general clean-up early that day to facilitate mowing.Artificial ground decorations will be discarded at that time and only live plants properly maintained will remain.

Wehr said that although trash containers are placed throughout the cemetery on holidays, it is impossible to keep them from overflowing.Visitors can help by taking with them any small boxes, bags and paper they bring to the cemetery.