Giving the Gift of Peace of Mind

Robyne and Jim Hunnicutt of LaGrange had been considering funeral plans for years when they decided to tour Whispering Hills Natural Cemetery and Memorial Nature Preserve earlier this year.

“I recently celebrated my 65th birthday and really felt the need to get our final plans in order after years of thinking about it,” Robyne explained. “We’ve looked at the local cemeteries and researched options online, and just a few minutes into our tour we fell in love with the simplicity, the incredible beauty and peacefulness of Whispering Hills.”

The couple had planned to make a brief visit but ended up exploring the forest, rolling meadows and streams for more than two hours during a golf cart ride with tour director Shirley Hubbard.

“We really enjoyed taking our time discovering everything nature has to offer here and knew right away this is the place for us when that day comes,” Robyne noted. “We selected a final resting place under the trees overlooking the meadow and the brook, and we left with a calming peace of mind, knowing that decision is behind us and our family won’t be burdened with these choices when we’re gone.”

More than 150 families from Georgia, Alabama, and across the South and beyond have chosen a final resting place at Whispering Hills for a loved one passed or as part of their own end-of-life plan. They’ve come to cherish the natural cemetery, at the heart of a 140-acre memorial nature preserve, with its walking trails, flower-filled meadows, towering trees, and creeks.

“I’ve never seen another cemetery like this,” said LaGrange resident Darlene Hall. “I’m so glad I found this place, because nothing else compares if you want a beautiful place to leave your last mark.”

Hall had heard about Whispering Hills, “but I never made it out here until the day after my husband Ronnie passed away in December of last year,” she recalled. “I suddenly had no choice but to get out there and explore his resting place options while I was grieving. I was a mess inside, but a peace came over me as my family and I rode through the forest and fields for the first time at Whispering Hills.”

Hall picked out a special spot for her husband’s ashes burial and her future interment, along with two stones from the memorial nature preserve to mark their final resting place.

“We had a service surrounded by nature. My husband loved the great outdoors, so it was perfect,” shared Hall, whose grandkids participated in their “paw-paw’s” ceremony under the canopy of trees. “It’s a special day and moment they will always remember, and choosing this natural cemetery has made it even more memorable. It’s certainly given me a sense of serenity and closure.”

If there’s one regret, Hall says she and her husband never finalized their funeral plans together. “I’m so thankful I found the perfect fit for us, but it would’ve been better had we been more proactive and planned ahead,” she said, noting her kids “now won’t have to make these choices” on her behalf someday.

Jeff McGinnis and his life partner Anna Bennett of Savannah discovered Whispering Hills after researching natural cemeteries in the South. “We feel so fortunate to have one of the most beautiful natural cemeteries in the country right here in Georgia. It’s one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever seen,” McGinnis said with a smile. “I toured the property and immediately connected with the concept, and we secured two plots for full natural burials.”

McGinnis, who is 57 and a retired Marine, has found peace of mind knowing his pre-planning “will offer my family peace of mind when my time comes. We’re raising grandkids who won’t have to worry at all about making choices about my final resting place. Those decisions are made and I couldn’t be happier knowing my last wishes will be carried out just like I want them to be.”

He’s also interested in the Whispering Hills Veterans program, which is designed to help men and women who’ve served in uniform to apply for government financial aid to cover at least part of their funeral costs. Whispering Hills will also help McGinnis’ family secure a veteran medallion, which will ultimately be placed on Jeff’s tribute stone.

When Susan Peterson of Auburn, Alabama was handed the box containing her husband David’s ashes after he passed away in January 2020, she didn’t know what to do. “I didn’t have any options in mind and the funeral home didn’t make any suggestions, so I had his box of ashes sitting on a closet shelf for five years,” recalled Peterson.

A lot has changed over the past five years, according to Jeffrey Higgins, a funeral director at Higgins Funeral Home in LaGrange who has seen interest in and demand for natural cemeteries and burials become a local and national trend.

“Natural burials have quickly become a significant part of our business as more and more people and families want a final resting place surrounded by the beauty and peacefulness of nature,” explained Higgins. “Funeral homes must think beyond that box of ashes and embrace this movement toward natural cemeteries. We’ve done just that and a growing number of families are benefitting and enjoying incredibly memorable ceremonies and services, many after years of having their loved one’s ashes on a shelf.”

“Families in Georgia, Alabama and across the region are fortunate to have one of the most beautiful and professionally run natural cemeteries in the country right here in LaGrange,” noted Wanda Jennings of the Mackey Wilson Jennings Funeral Home. “We make sure our families are well aware of natural burial services as they consider their options for a loved one passed or future planning.”

“I’m so glad I found out about natural burial options after reading about Whispering Hills last year,” noted Peterson. “Words can’t capture the incredible moment our family experienced when we paid tribute to David’s life in such a beautiful setting where we placed rose petals along with his ashes on the forest floor in his honor. It brings peace of mind, and a real sense of closure after all these years.”

For more information about finding your own peace of mind and taking the time now to preplan your last wishes, contact the Whispering Hills team at 706-884-7435 and learn more about our services at www.whisperinghillspreserve.com.