The Town of Huntsville recently commissioned the Madill Church Columbarium, generously donated by Helen and Wilf McQuinn and featuring a central monument memorializing Helen’s parents, Etta and Wilson Cairns, and Wilf’s parents, Gladys and Bill McQuinn.
“The Madill Cemetery is a very important part of the history of our Town – a place of remembering those who have gone before, including some of the region’s early pioneers. We are so grateful for the donation of the Madill Church Columbarium by Helen and Wilf McQuinn, in loving memory of both their parents. We hope that this monument will serve not only as a lasting reminder of the McQuinn and Cairns families to our community, but also as the cherished final resting place of other Huntsvillians,” said Mayor Nancy Alcock.
The Story of Madill Columbarium
Huntsville’s Madill Cemetery was featured in the book ‘Old Canadian Cemeteries’ for its beauty as a place of memory and was acknowledged for its significance to the region’s pioneers. Helen and Wilf McQuinn recently donated a columbarium to the Town of Huntsville, a gift which provides means for an additional interment service, granting the cemetery better economic viability.
The Madill Church Columbarium was received as a wonderful and lovely contribution to the community. Helen and Wilf McQuinn, Colleen MacDonald (former Manager of Parks and Cemeteries) and Signature Memorials owner Steve Sanderson collaborated, seeking to achieve an overall meaningful appearance. The Columbarium units selected are spacious and of high quality, with noticeably thick granite. The Columbarium features a central monument memorializing Helen’s parents, Etta and Wilson Cairns, and Wilf’s parents, Gladys and Bill McQuinn. This monument also denotes historic significance by a meaningful image of the Madill Church inlayed on black granite. The apex features a monumental carved capstone perfectly modeling the church’s cedar eve and lintel. Design elements used were graciously provided by the Madill Church Preservation Society, through Rob Leverty, Ontario Historical Society. These considerations have given the cemetery another fitting point of interest.
The cemetery is a sight to behold lately with the bustling church reconstruction and dozens of trees planted, all of which were donated through the Ontario Association of Cemetery and Funeral Professionals (OACFP) on behalf of the Huntsville Hospital Auxiliary. Madill has benefitted greatly from these good-spirited contributions. The Town has prioritized operational care and maintenance with capital improvements such as a new roadway and fence. The Madill Cemetery has these things all coming together at once. Thus, our new Columbarium has been well received and is much appreciated.