BARRY’S BAY – A new memorial mural inside St. Francis Memorial Hospital will honour loved ones who have passed away.
On October 29, a special unveiling was held to mark the new mural. Created by Don Burchat of Wilno, this marks the third memorial inside the hospital. Elements of the mural can be purchased to memorialize loved ones, with proceeds going towards the St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation.
Executive Director of the foundation, Toni Lavigne-Conway, welcomed a small crowd gathered for the unveiling. She thanked Burchat, a local craftsman who was commissioned for the project, for designing a mural that perfectly captures the essence of the region.
“It, to me, is a picture of any landscape that we might see here typically in our area. It features some of the local woods. It’s a really warm feeling. It’s a nice compliment to the hospital. I think it would be beautiful to have their family member remembered on a wall that beautiful and that warm and inviting,” Lavigne-Conway said. “What’s significant of the mural aside from the beauty of it of course, are the names that we are going to see engraved on the individual elements. There are beautiful elements like leaves and ducks in flight. But these names will represent our moms, our dads, our grandparents, wives, sisters and brothers. That really is what’s going to make this very special.”
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