Chapel of the Chimes in Hayward, California

Chapel of the Chimes Memorial Park and Funeral Home. Date October 26, 2008. Location 32992 Mission Boulevard, Hayward, California. Digital Images. Taken by Cheryl Palmer. [Address for private use] Alameda County, California. 2008

Choosing Chapel of the Chimes as the first to write about may be because it has special meaning to me. My mother and grandmother are buried here, and my sister's in law's are also buried here.

Chapel of the Chimes has been in existence since 1872. They have a beautiful location with flatland and hillside locations for burials. I believe the cemetery covers over 60 acres. There are two levels, one on the ground level and one on a road up into the hillside. I understand on a clear day you can see the San Francisco Bay from the Hillside Gardens. They have indoor and outside mausoleums. I do know that Chapel of the Chimes has the only round mausoleum in California, "The Circle of Peace" which you can see in the back of the upper left hand picture.

I went to Chapel of the Chimes a few days ago. I visited my mother's and grandmother's graves, which are in the "Garden of Honor ll". I remember my mother wanting a plot that was up on the lower hillside and under a tree, and she received her wish. The surrounding grounds are beautiful and green, it was a glorious day for this visit.

I spent a good hour or more at the cemetery, but only on the outside and only on the main level. I visited my sister's in laws. They are located at the opposite side of the cemetery from my family, in an above ground entombment located in the Garden of Memory. The last time I was there, one of the names and dates hadn't been added as of yet, but now the full information is available. A unexpected picture for my personal genealogy.

I took a lot of pictures, and know I need to go back for more, I couldn't cover everything in the time I had allotted on this day. I learned the cemetery has more to it than I have ever noticed before. This time I was more open to exploring, and not just "visiting" which makes a big difference in how you "see" a cemetery.

The entrance to this cemetery does not have an opportune place to stop for picture taking, as you can see in the right hand picture above. As I was turning on my green light into the entrance, I snapped the photo. Never was the car or light in my view until I came home and downloaded the pictures. Next time I visit this cemetery I will walk from "somewhere" to the entrance to take a better photograph. One of the things, among many I be learning, as a Graveyard Rabbit, is to be sure to take good photos!