Stony Brook Garden Club Memorial Garden Supports Cancer Patients

January 25, 2023

Hundreds of daffodils honor club members and provide hope to the greater community

“I wish I had planted more daffodils,” said Leslie Kuenne, before she passed away at the youthful age of 58. Her wish spurred the Stony Brook Garden Club of Princeton—of which she was an active member—to plant a memorial garden. Developed in 2019, the Stony Brook Garden Club Memorial Garden honors members who have passed on and provides hope for cancer survivors being treated at the nearby YWCA Cancer Resource Center.

In the fall of 2019, a large garden bed was dug, and many members came to plant almost 300 bulbs. Redbud trees and native plants were added later. In November of 2022, the club turned out to plant 400 more daffodils. Many people walk and hike in the 53.9 acres of preserved land. The club placed several benches in the garden to allow passersby to sit and enjoy the setting. Remembering members that have passed on has cast a ripple into a much larger community.

Within the garden rests a beautiful plaque inscribed with these words from William Butler Yeats: “Think where man’s glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends.” The Stony Brook Garden Club of Princeton looks forward to a glorious spring in the memorial garden where they will raise a glass and remember their now-gone friends. 

 

 

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