A Final Act of Brotherly Love at Whispering Hills Natural Cemetery
Published on October 10, 2025
With a shovel in his hand, Les Bryant helped close his brother Cliff’s grave as his mom, dad, friends and family tossed flowers onto the pine casket below.
“This was the most incredibly beautiful funeral service I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Les shared, recalling his feelings on that October afternoon when he helped lower his only brother into the Earth. “It was so hands-on and special, like nothing I’ve ever been a part of before, burying my brother John Clifton Bryant, who most of us knew as Cliff.”
The family chose a spot on the edge of a small grassy field under a row of trees, a nod to a childhood dream the brothers shared after hearing their dad’s stories about natural burials “in cowboy days” under the towering trees.
“We always loved the idea of ashes to ashes, dust to dust, to the Earth we return,” Les explained with a smile, noting his father’s passion for the cowboy life fueled the idea that stuck with the two brothers all these years. But Cliff’s wishes were nearly missed in all the disarray that surrounded his unexpected death.
“Cliff was struggling with some infections in his leg, which we all thought was under control until it wasn’t,” Les recalled. “We were all scrambling to make his final arrangements while the whole family was grieving.”
Family and friends toss flowers on Cliff Bryant's pine casket at Whispering Hills.
It was a wakeup call for everyone, Les said, noting “how fast things can happen.” He was thankful Cliff’s will was found. “It clearly outlined his wishes for a natural burial. The family had been planning a traditional service, until that will was found.”
Once Cliff’s wishes were confirmed, his partner Steven Quarles found Whispering Hills, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Cliff’s home in Cedartown, Georgia.
“Finding Whispering Hills has everyone in our family considering a natural burial. It warmed my mom’s heart to know that her son’s last wishes were fulfilled. She was so impressed with the beauty and peacefulness of the place and service, and the caring staff,” Les shared, noting he now has plans to secure his own will and a family plot at Whispering Hills, two hours from his home near Macon.
“I should’ve already been shaken into getting a will by now,” quipped Les, who lost his leg and nearly his life in an accident at the scrapyard where he worked a few years ago. “I’ve already decided on a final resting place under a cluster of trees, not far from my brother. We’re all going to get our plans in place for the sake of my own peace of mind, my son Luke and girlfriend Kristen, and Cliff and Steven’s daughter Gemma,” who picked out the tribute stone from the preserve to mark her father’s grave.
Les saw firsthand the burden that can be placed on families trying to fulfill the wishes of a loved one passed. “We almost missed my brother’s longtime wishes, but having his final arrangements in writing ensured that we got it right in this beautiful place where my family will also be one day. It was an honor to close my brother’s grave, and this peaceful, hands-on service has brought us all a level of closure we wouldn’t have found anywhere else.”
Les and Cliff Bryant long talked about having a natural burial when the day comes.
Whispering Hills Natural Cemetery is at the heart of a 140-acre Memorial Nature Preserve that features affordable final resting place options in a forest, flower-filled meadows, and along walking trails and rolling streams.
For more information about Whispering Hills Natural Green Cemetery and Memorial Nature Preserve, visit www.whisperinghillspreserve.com.
