Garden of Memories Funeral Home and Garden of Memories Cemetery offer Tampa area families the finest in funeral and cemetery services from one convenient location.
Founded in 1937 by Senator Ray C. Knopke and Roy Timble, Garden of Memories Cemetery was the first memorial park in Hillsborough County. Additionally, it was the first cemetery in the county to be completely protected by a perpetual care fund from its inception.
Consisting of 100 acres of rolling landscape, the cemetery is located in one of the highest sections of the east Tampa area. In the cemetery’s early years, the Knopke family expanded their services to offer mausoleum entombment to area families. Serving the growing needs of the community, the mausoleum complex features a climate-controlled chapel with 1,280 crypt spaces.
The cemetery’s focal point is the Chimes Tower, which exceeds five stories, and was the first columbarium ever built by a cemetery for cremated remains.
In 1976, the Knopke family business expanded again with the opening of Knopke Funeral Home. It was the first funeral home to be associated with a major cemetery on the West Coast of Florida. A year later, the name of the home was changed to Garden of Memories Chapel. Today, the original funeral home building serves as a church.
Adjacent to the cemetery grounds, the Knopkes built the current Garden of Memories Funeral Home in 1981. The expansive building contains more than 20,000 square feet, including a chapel that comfortably seats 150.
Bordering Garden of Memories Cemetery is Myrtle Hill Memorial Park with a rich history dating back to 1917. Founded by Daniel S. Wells, T.O. Wilson and Clifton Benson, the cemetery is situated on a 105-acre tract of land in the northeastern section of Hillsborough County.
Purchased by A.C. Clewis and George B. Howell in 1932, the cemetery features a garden mausoleum with a chapel area constructed in the early 1960s. Also within the cemetery is a Catholic section begun in 1926 when the nearby Catholic Church closed its cemetery in Tampa and transferred approximately 100 burials to Myrtle Hill.
At Garden of Memories Funeral Home and Cemetery, we offer many types of unique and personalized options to commemorate the lives of loved ones and to help ensure that legacies will endure for generations to come. Whether your preference is in-ground interment, mausoleum entombment or a memorial choice specific to cremation, we have selections ranging in price and style to accommodate your needs.
