Our Mission

The mission of the Mount Lawn Cemetery Association, Inc., a 501c13 tax-deductible entity is to repair, maintain, and manage Mount Lawn Memorial Park & Gardens, located in Boone, NC. The goal of the association is to restore the cemetery to a pristine state, honoring those who are interred there, as well as their families and friends.

Our Vision

Mount Lawn Memorial Park & Gardens, under the guidance and supervision of the Board of Directors of the Mount Lawn Cemetery Association, Inc., a 501c13 tax-deductible entity, exists as a resting place for the diverse population of Boone, NC, and surrounding areas while attending to the care and respect of those who have passed, their families, and their friends. As a part of that vision, the Board of Directors will ensure Mount Lawn Memorial Park & Gardens:

1. A. Provides a place that is respectful of the deceased, as well as for families and friends who visit the cemetery;
2. B. Provides and maintains a peaceful environment in which people can visit, grieve, and be renewed;
3. C. Provides a staff whose priorities are to offer professional, quality burial and cemetery services;
4. D. Offers a variety of burial options, including traditional burial, columbarium niches, an ash garden, and a site for green burial, as well as a mausoleum facility;
5. E. Honors diverse populations and their burial practices;
6. F. Provides research and documentation of the history of the cemetery;
7. G. Provides a place for the community to gather in celebration of those who have served our country in the Armed Services.

Board of Directors

Nancy Williams - dannanwilliams@gmail.com
BR Winkler - winklerbr@gmail.com
Barney Hampton - barney@HFSNC.com
Mike Wilson - toyhsma@gmail.com
Graydon Eggers - gpeg@bellsouth.net
David Cottrell - cottrelldw@yahoo.com
Jerry Harmon - jmharmon6@gmail.com
Tanya Wilder - tanyawilder@gmail.com
Rev. Bud Russell - brussell5859@gmail.com

David Reed, Grounds Manager - mountlawnboone@gmail.com

Betty Triplett, Office Manager - mountlawnboone@gmail.com

Diane Wilcox, Assistant Office Manager - mountlawnboone@gmail.com

Mark Norris, Family Service Counselor-mountlawnboone@gmail.com

History

Prior to 1950, the town of Boone, NC, had only one functional cemetery within city limits to serve the growing population of the area. The Boone City Cemetery, located across from the First Presbyterian Church at the time and adjoining Appalachian State Teachers College, would soon become too small to serve residents of the community. About that time, Mr.W.K. “Bill”Sturdivant became interested in filling the need for a perpetual care cemetery in Boone and located property owned at the time by sisters Sally and Lelia Ray, who lived at the top of the property that was of interest to Mr. Sturdivant. The Ray Family Cemetery had long been established on the north side of the land owned by the Ray sisters. Bill Sturdivant purchased the property and established the Mount Lawn Memorial Park and Gardens in 1950. 

Mr. Sturdivant, owner of Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home in North Wilkesboro, NC, had branches of his business in Boone, West Jefferson, and Newland in western North Carolina and Independence,VA. With the assistance of Mr. Richard Kelly, he developed and operated Mount Lawn Memorial Park and Gardens, Boone and Watauga County’s first perpetual care cemetery.

History Continued

When the property for this new cemetery in Boone was purchased, Mount Lawn Memorial Park and Gardens had to meet the standards and approval of the North Carolina Cemetery Commission. The Commission required Mr. Sturdivant to have a minimum of twenty-five acres and a $25,000 deposit to start a trust account for the continued care and upkeep of the cemetery.

Later in the mid-1950’s, Mr.Sturdivant sold the cemetery to Mr. J.D. Boone from Ashe County. Mr. Boone then hired the Frost Group to manage sales to Boone and Watauga County, as well as to anyothers who were interested in purchasing plots. After Mr. Boone’s ownership, the cemetery changedownership several time over the years until the newly formed Mount Lawn Cemetery Association, Inc., a tax-deductible entity under the IRS 501c13 tax designation, took over ownership on March 10, 2022 from previous owner, Klee Liles.

Moving forward, Mount Lawn Cemetery Association, Inc., has as its mission to repair, maintain, beautify, and manage Mount Lawn Memorial Park and Gardens, restoring the cemetery to a pristine state that honors those who are interred there, as well as their families and friends.